Three's A Crowd (But Pack Sticks Together)
by ShiiroiKitsune21
Summary: Kaguya won, Kurama has a 'plan', Kakashi's on board. Will a Relatively-Good!Kyuubi, Time travel, a younger stick-up-his-ass (though not for long if Kurama has anything to say in it) Kakashi and a shocked Team Minato be enough to save the world? (First Fanfiction, some angst, no romance, ever-evolving plot!) Previously known as "Kyuubi wants to live - Kakashi time-travel".
1. Prologue: do I look like I want to die?

**Thank boomvroomshroom for his wonderful work on this chapter! Long life to all Betas! :D **

**I don't own Naruto. If I did, Kakashi would have two little kids with an OC Uchiha.**

* * *

Prologue: Do I look like I want to die?

On That day, it rained.

The gray clouds were storming like there was no tomorrow. Probably because there wasn't.

Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto, Rokudaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, was staring at the sky with lifeless azure eyes. His sunshine hair was splattered with blood. Whose blood was anyone's guess.

He laid in the middle of the ruins of Konoha. His comrades' corpses were scattered around him, all in different states of wholeness.

Sasuke "Temes' King" Uchiha had a gaping wound right where his heart once was, his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan opened forever at the world above him. Sakura "Pink Fury" Haruno had her body split in two halves, hands covered in blood during her attempt to made her body whole again. Shino "Nobody Notices Me" Aburame and TenTen "Weapons Mistress" were both burnt to a crisp. Hinata "Shy Heiress" Hyuuga was covered by several gashes and cuts, and her eyes were carved out of their sockets…

The list ran on for far too long. There were also nameless shinobi from the Shinobi Alliance. All the ones that ran from their villages to support Konoha, all dead.

There was only one figure standing.

Kakashi "I Think I'm Cursed" Hatake.

He didn't have his left arm anymore, he was covered from head to toe in all the kinds of wounds that ever existed, and his trademark mask was nowhere to be seen.

That was Kakashi "I Think I'm Cursed" Hatake, all right.

Somehow, the bleeding ceased to a too slow drop of blood, leaving him the last man standing alive. He limped his way towards his usually-too-cheerful student. Kakashi had nicknamed him 'The number-one knuckleheaded unpredictable shinobi to ever walk on Earth', back at the time where he was an obnoxious and loud orange brat, still a fresh genin with a childish crush and an Eternal Rivalry with the "Rookie of the year".

Back at the time when "Earth" was still "Earth."

Kakashi managed a small smile, remembering all of Team 7's attempts to see his face. Then he looked at their corpses and felt the urge to cry his heart out. He resisted: he would waste too much energy. Instead, he reached his Sensei's dead son. He held him in his arms so tightly that he expected to hear an indignant "Kaka-sensei! You're choking me! Don't hug me – dattebayo!" escape the cold lips of the boy.

_'You're going to cry yourself to death. Smooth, Hatake,'_ Kakashi thought as tears begun to fall on Naruto's whiskered cheeks. _'What will everyone think of it?'_

And immediately after, he answered his own question. _'There isn't anyone.'_

* * *

The Kyuubi no Youko had just experienced the most awful experience he ever had the displeasure of experiencing. His host, that ever-cheerful brat, the only one to acknowledge him and thank him for the chakra, had died. It was like the water in the sewer-like mind was slowly freezing, the seal still open but impenetrable, like mocking him for his helplessness.

He tried to take over the body, but without its soul it was too taxing even for Kurama. His nine tails waved in frustration: what could he DO?

He sure as hell wasn't going to wait for the sewer to freeze and his chakra to disperse and reform after a decade. There was a jutsu he could try, the Jikan no Fujin, but he needed another chakra to act like an anchor. Kurama didn't want to lose himself in the Time Stream, after all. He wanted to LIVE.

When the brat's sensei held tightly the corpse, Kurama felt like his prayer-like curses have been answered. Still, the Hatake wouldn't survive long if the Kyuubi didn't act fast.

Kurama started to gather all the chakra he could master, absorbing all he could from the mourning sensei and managing to tap into Kakashi's Life Chakra reserves. Depending on the energy's quantity they would travel further.

_'Further is better,'_ Kurama decided, nodding to himself. _'He'll thank me once he regains awareness'._

After gathering every drop of chakra, the Kyuubi no Youko scribbled with lightning speed the forbidden seal on the already forming ice, overloading it with chakra.

* * *

Kakashi wasn't too sure why his already worn chakra reserves were depleting like this. When this odd phenomenon extended to his Life Chakra, he panicked. The jonin frantically looked left and right, stretching his senses to feel if Kaguya, the demon goddess, wanted to enjoy his agony and cheerfully admire her handiwork that led to Konoha's fall.

Then the Hatake felt a tug at his soul that drew him in Naruto's mindscrape, forever leaving its right body.

He found himself in front of the Kyuubi, his expression frantic, looking like his pup was dying and he was ready to do anything to save him (which was probably the truth).

**"Hatake"** Kurama growled, **"I need every drop of your chakra to throw us backwards in time. The more energy we use, the further we go and more time for us to ensure the Kit's survival. Are you going to help me save the little kid?"**

Kakashi, although still shaken about the abrupt change of surroundings, replied instantly: "Of course I'll do anything I can to save Naruto!" His expression was worn, but his mismatched eyes held unwavering determination.

The Kyuubi grinned with a pleased expression, displaying the full smirk that normally sent lesser humans running helplessly for their lives. That day, however, Kakashi welcomed that expression with hope. Hope that he'd save his loved ones, even if he'd die trying.

Kurama absorbed Kakashi's chakra, pouring all of that and his own massive reserves into the seal with a roar.

**"FUINJUTSU: JIKAN NO FUJIN!"**

* * *

**A/N: Hello everyone! I'll update if you tell me you like this story! Beware that English isn't my native language, so I could make mistakes… gomen (sorry) XP**

**If you need to know, "teme" means bastard (Naruto called Sasuke like that), "Fuinjutsu: Jikan no fujin" should mean "Sealing art: Seal of Time", "Kit" is the nickname Kurama gave Naruto (don't know when, but in other fanfic is like this :P)**

**However, like the description said, first fanfic ever! Before asking, read the description!**

**Beware the Kitsune's rage!**

**-Shiiroi Kitsune**


	2. Chapter 1: He's what?

**Kind-of Pre-A/N: I'm already grinning like an idiot about this story's initial success! Like I said, I post this chapter!**

**Callian31 and TegzTsinelas, I'm already drowning in happiness! This story IS a bit like other time-travelling ones and, to answer, YES, Kakashi will be THAT! Yay for Good!Kyuubi!**

**I still don't own Naruto. Otherwise, Kakashi would have drinking contests with the other Kages after the Fourth Shinobi War.**

**EDIT: Beta'd by boomvroomshroom! :D**

***Cough* however… there's the Chapter 1!**

* * *

**Chapter 1: He's what?**

Ten-year-old Kakashi Hatake had been peacefully sleeping when, all of a sudden, he found himself in The Nightmare.

He stared at his father's corpse without flinching; he already dreamt this more times than he would admit. Still, the sight was too sharp for his liking. Then, the vision shifted and, in place of Sakumo's body, there was Obito's, his right side crushed under a massive boulder. He was trying to say something, and what Kakashi managed to understand reading his blood-covered lips made him pause.

What the hell?

Eye's transplant? Jonin promotion? Protect Rin?

Kakashi started to think he lost his mind, when the Nightmare shifted again.

He gasped: he had stuck his right hand in Rin's chest, who was looking at him with too many emotions to read, tears slowly falling from her cheeks. She whispered something when the Nightmare changed.

He was looking down at Minato-sensei's and Kushina's corpses, each of them with open wounds that passed through their abdomens; a faint newborn's cry echoed in the background of the burning woods.

And then another, one after the other, each of them older versions of his comrades and nameless shinobi: some were ANBU, a few had the green jonin vest, and others had a different hitai-ate, on which was written the kanji for "shinobi". At each vision, Kakashi's heart sunk lower and he felt like crying – even for the nameless shinobi.

He desperately wished that someone would decide to wake him up and, a split second later that he formed the thought, he felt a sharp, burning pain on his stomach.

His vision swam and all he saw was red: red that flowed endlessly from each wound, red like the fire that burned during the nights outside the village, red like the beautiful sunset seen from the Hokage's monument…

He woke up screaming his head off. Kakashi had to use his hands to stop that pain, frantically trying to extinguish the nonexistant flames that were burning his stomach.

After desperately thrashing around for what felt like hours, the chuunin looked at where he assumed would be his wound. The skin was an angry red, with scratching marks all over it (probably a result of his need to stop the pain, he mused), but that wasn't what attracted his attention.

There was a strange seal right where the pain was worst. It was a spiral, like the one on Konoha's standard vest, with three tail-like marks parting from it; the swirl was surrounded by six strings of strange ancient writing that Kakashi didn't understand.

Whatever this was, it couldn't be good.

* * *

_A bit before_

Nineteen-year-old Namikaze Minato paused. He had just arrived at the Training Ground 24 to (obviously) train his little team of two genin and a chuunin. He could still feel his headache from his failed dinner-plan to 'build teamwork' between the mismatched shinobi. Obito had kept saying he helped old ladies to bring home their groceries, Kakashi had kept lecturing Obito about Shinobi Rules and lateness, Rin had kept trying to calm them down, and all the while, Minato had kept telling himself that exuding Killer Intent would simply scare them all. Or, at least, the genin, anyway.

The blonde grimaced: in the end Obito had run home after yelling at his silver-haired teammate, Kakashi had returned to his emotionless self, and Rin had sighed and left, using her parents as an excuse.

Before his thoughts drifted to who-knew-where, Minato asked himself where his cute little apprentice Kakashi was once again. Checking the time, Minato had arrived ten minutes earlier than planned.

The problem was that the Training Ground was empty. That shouldn't have been the case; Kakashi was always at least fifteen minutes early.

Minato flared his chakra, trying to pinpoint his student, but there wasn't anything. Kakashi hadn't set foot here today. He blinked, eyes wide. Maybe the little chuunin went to train in a different area? Maybe he didn't want to be around his teammates?

The jonin sighed. He didn't expect that evening to end like that and still affect Team 7. He decided to wait until the others showed up, blaming his uneasiness on the headache.

Ten minutes later, when Rin showed up, Minato greeted her with a slightly cheerful "Good Morning, Rin!" The girl greeted back, but her eyes darted everywhere on the Training Ground, silently searching for her silver-haired teammate.

After a little search, she asked: "Sensei, where is Kakashi-kun?"

"No idea," Minato admitted. "Maybe he just needs to cool off from yesterday evening," he then added as an afterthought, shrugging. The uneasy feeling returned full force, demanding to be considered.

Rin watched him from the corner of her eyes worriedly. "If you say so, sensei," she sighed.

An hour later, a sheepish and cheerful voice shouted, "Sorry I'm late! There was a black cat crossing my path, so I took another… route… eh…" Obito's words died in his throat as he stared back at the wide-eyed looks he was receiving. "Uhm… what's up sensei?" the Uchiha looked around. "Ano… where is Bakakashi?"

If possible, Minato became even paler. Kakashi was never late. The uneasy feeling smugly pointed out that Minato should have paid attention to it at the beginning. Something cold settled itself in the jonin's stomach and he felt sick. What if some Iwa-nin managed to sneak in the village and kill Kakashi? What if a group of angry jonin decided that they needed to assassinate 'the Hatake brat'? What if Kakashi could have been saved if Minato acted sooner, and now the jonin could only wait helplessly even if he reached his student?

"… Minato-sensei? Are you ok?" Obito suddenly asked, his face betraying confusion and worry. Even if Bakakashi had a stick up his ass, he was still his teammate.

Minato somehow managed to answer: "I-I… I'm going to check… on… Kakashi-kun…" The jonin had to swallow the need to run like hell while screaming and flailing his arms around in a panic attack. That wasn't going to reassure the genin.

It looked like there wasn't any need to Shunshin to Kakashi's apartment, seeing that the silver-haired chuunin managed to arrive at the Training Ground. Minato was instantly relived and managed to stop himself from hugging the boy while yelling "Kashi!" only when he saw his odd behavior.

The boy looked even more pale than usual, his onyx eyes kept scanning the area for any kind of threat and he was definitely nervous about something, if the almost imperceptible shuffling of his feet was anything to go by. But what really made Minato pause was the way his hands gripped his shirt over his stomach, like he was afraid his innards were going to spill if he didn't keep the area covered.

Minato stopped that train of thought before he could go into Panic Land: he argued to himself that there wasn't any blood, not even its coppery smell, and that he should just ask him.

"Kakashi, did you get injured? Why are YOU late? What happened?! Tell me!" he frantically asked, no longer trying to keep himself controlled. Who honestly DARED to harm his student?

Kakashi looked even paler after looking at him, while Obito and Rin were behind their sensei with worried looks on their faces. Even Obito noticed the nervous behavior of the chuunin and wisely decided to keep his mouth shut, avoiding blurting something like "You're the late one now!"

The silver-haired boy looked around for a second before replying in a whisper: "Minato-sensei, can I talk to you in private?" He hated how much like a whiny little kid he sounded, but he felt a little justified for something like what happened that morning.

Minato looked like he wanted to argue, but then he shook his head and said to the two genins to warm up before they returned, promptly grabbing Kakashi and teleporting in another part of the Ground.

* * *

"Kakashi, what happened?" Minato asked again, still frantic.

"Sensei…" the boy took a deep breath, trying to say everything right "this night I had a nightmare from which I couldn't wake up. The details were definitely sharper than any other dreams, but I still woke up when I felt a burning pain on the stomach." Minato looked even more panicked, so Kakashi felt the urge to finish before the frantic sensei started to scream in distress: "When I checked the wound, I found a strange seal, and I think you'll understand more than me if you take a look at it." The chuunin raised his shirt to expose the aforementioned seal.

When he finished checking the seal, Minato's skin was as pale as Kakashi's hair. He looked at the seal several times, but he couldn't find any other seals that remotely matched the one he was seeing.

Someone made Kakashi a Jinchuuriki.

* * *

**A/N: Dun dun dun DUNNNNNNN! ****Crappy chapter and kind-of cliffhanger! :D**

**Still, if you need it I leave this:**

**"****sensei" means master (duh)**

**"****-kun" and "-sensei" are suffixes (like –sama, -san, -chan) that state the "respect-level" between people**

**"****ano" is an expression that states indecision, like "uhhh… uhm…"**

**Beware of the Kitsune's rage!**

**-Shiiroi Kitsune21**


	3. Chapter 2: Someone help Minato-sensei!

**A/N (?) Three Chapters in a day's work! This is the beginning's marathon! :D**

**Again, thank you for the positive reviews and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter (a little at least…)**

**EDIT/UPDATE: Bow to boomvroomshroom for beta-ing this Chapter! **

**I still don't own Naruto. If I did I would die from happiness.**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Someone help Minato-sensei!**

_Kakashi is a Jinchuuriki_. That thought continued to repeat itself in Minato's mind like an echo.

He took his eyes away for a morning, and someone managed to seal a BIJUU inside him? The blonde man was feeling everything from deep worry (his student had a demon in his stomach!), to rage (who dared to do this was going to die. Painfully. Multiple times.), to disappointment (the chakra of a Bijuu sealed in a scroll could be sensed even from inexperienced genins an entire mile away! What were the guards there for?), and everyone could almost see a giant _'WTF?!_' sign over his head (when did things got this out of hand? Why did someone seal a bijuu inside him?).

Unfortunately for Kakashi, Minato, in his panic, had unknowingly begun to exude killer intent. Not just a little bit, either - it was practically rolling off him in waves. Kakashi was a talented ninja, but he was still physically just a child, and even grown men wilted under that murderous gaze.

Before he could choke, the boy tried to regain the blonde's attention by whispering: "Minato-sensei? What seal is it?" The blue-eyed man blinked and clamped down his K.I. at the wake-up call, but his expression visibly darkened at the mention of the seal. He looked like he was about to say his death sentence, but instead settled with replying: "…it's a containment seal. Meaning that whoever did this…" his expression turned murderous again for a second before blanking out once more, "…used a fuinjustu to seal something inside you".

Kakashi took it quite well for a ten-year-old boy. Really, if he was normal, he would be in _hysterics_ right now. All he could do was ask as blankly as possible: "Is it dangerous? Can you take it off?"

The problem was that Minato could read him like an open book. He knew that the more expressionless Kakashi was, the more nervous and frightened he was. An urgent visit to the Hokage Tower was definitely needed. Minato dropped a Kage Bunshin to inform the kids of his absence and promptly left with Kakashi.

* * *

Jiraya was reporting the success of his month-long mission near the border of Kusa no Kuni when his beloved sunshine-haired student barged in the Hokage's office with a cry of "Hokage-sama! It's an emergency!" without any formality whatsoever, little Hatake in tow.

The Sandaime immediately felt something was seriously wrong with the newcomers and ordered the jonin to explain. Minato looked on the verge of a panic attack, but still managed to choke out a coherent word that made both the Hokage's and Jiraya's blood freeze.

"Jinchuuriki," he whispered.

Both stared with wide eyes and paled considerably. How was it possible? How could a ninja enter Konoha's walls with a _bijuu_ ready to seal? Anyone with half a brain understood that the Hatake's presence meant the seal was on him, and neither of them were idiots.

"Who sealed a demon inside him?!" Jiraya blurted, before his brain caught up with his mouth.

Meanwhile, Kakashi was staring wide-eyed at the three adults. He was clever enough to put together the pieces. The so-called "containment seal" on his skin was meant to seal a demon inside him. He was a time bomb in the village.

But… if the swirl contained the demon… what were the tail-like streaks that exited the boundaries of the seal?

* * *

Obito was left speechless by the barely restrained fright in the Kage Bunshin's eyes. Rin was the first to recover and, after blinking, she asked if the Uchiha wanted to train or try to understand what happened to their cold teammate.

It was obvious that Rin was really worried, what with her eyes trying to convince the boy that they needed to know what could upset Minato-sensei and Kakashi like that. Obito decided to do both: "What if we sneak around the village to understand what happened?" he asked. "Sensei didn't want us to know, but this way we would train our sneakiness AND see discover this mystery!" the boy exclaimed enthusiastically.

The girl's face lit up and her relieved smile stretched the purple marks on her cheeks, her kindly brown eyes settling in a look of determination. Obito felt his whole face reddening at the sight of her smile directed at him.

He pulled his orange goggles over his eyes as Rin declared their intent to help their teammates at all costs. Obito agreed, and the couple ran into the village.

* * *

Kakashi paled considerably when he understood the meaning of the tail-like streaks.

"N-no..." he choked "T-the seal… is…" he couldn't find the appropriate words to describe that.

"The seal could release the bijuu at any second," Jiraya whispered in horror after seeing it. "The seal was created to help the release of the demon on purpose." At this point, the two ANBU near the Hokage were tensely staring at the silver-haired boy, wide-eyed: the demon could be released at any second, and the Sandaime was too near to survive something like a bijuu's homicidal rampage.

Minato, Jiraya, the two ANBU and the Sandaime were as still as humanly possible, while Kakashi was shaking like a leaf, on the verge of hyperventilating, his face as white as a paper sheet.

**"Hey,"** a deep voice said inside Kakashi's head, making him jump three feet in the air. **"Looks like we'll live together from now on, eh?"** It gave a chuckle that sounded like nails on a blackboard and was just as disturbing.

The chuunin looked frantically everywhere in the room. It wasn't real, right? This was definitely a nightmare, like the one where everyone died. But the people he saw where all alive and younger now. _'Deep breaths,'_ he thought. _'Don't go in a panic attack. Analyze the situation'_.

**"It IS real, Kakashi-chan"** the voice smugly spoke again. **"I'm the bijuu inside you; you KNOW it. You just can't accept it,"** the demon said, like it could read his thoughts (and, really, it was the truth).

"Kakashi-kun! Don't listen to the demon! Don't give in!" Minato shouted at the frozen boy, hoping that maybe his voice could snap the little chuunin out of his daze. The sensei was almost sure that the demon was trying to lure the boy into releasing it and kill everyone in its wake.

Kakashi looked back at his sensei. If whatever was in him could cause Minato to panic so much, than all of Konoha had to be downright terrified.

**"I need only a little moment of control, 'Kashi-chan,"** the voice spoke in a sickly-sweet tone. **"I could easily force my way out, but I need your survival…"** Kakashi could almost see its condescending, predator-like smirk.

"No! You won't have it! I won't give in!" the silver-haired boy shouted, not even aware he did it in his attempt to talk to the demon. Every single ninja in the room was even tenser after the chuunin's yell. Jiraya, the Third and Minato could only helplessly watch the distressed boy and hope he regained control - it wouldn't do any good putting other seals on him without analyzing the one already there.

The Kyuubi waited not-so patiently for Kakashi's surrender, but when he didn't obtain it he spoke again **"… I asked for your own good, human. I WILL take control NOW,"** he finished with a snarl.

The Jinchuuriki didn't even completely understand the bijuu's words when he felt an intense burning sensation. It was like someone decided drowning him in boiling oil would be funny. There was little he could do to relieve his agony except let out a bloodcurdling cry.

All the shinobi in the room were ready in their battle stances, though they knew that it probably wouldn't do much good. Meanwhile, Minato was holding onto the little chuunin tightly with both arms, desperately wishing that the bijuu wasn't going to rampage around the village and that the boy could still be saved from the evil within him.

Blood-red chakra was bubbling on Kakashi's skin, a demonic and poisonous red that burned Minato's hands. The waves of toxic chakra, however, never left the room: Jiraya activated chakra-suppressing seals on the office's walls in the hope that Konoha would never know of the Jinchuuriki in their mist. Obviously, if they came back alive and the room wasn't destroyed.

When Kakashi's tortured screams subsided, his whole body slumped in Minato's grip. They were both breathing heavily and the jonin had some burns on his hands and vest. The blonde pushed the younger up, trying to see his face (or whatever wasn't covered with his ever-present mask). The little boy was sweating and pale, and Minato stilled when he saw his eyes.

They weren't their normal onyx color. They were a bright shade of red with cat-like pupils that seemed to look right into the most forbidden depths of the soul. His eyes were shining with smugness and knowledge and it was obvious who won the control of the body.

**"Minato,"** it growled, with a voice deeper than the boy's, **"I'll take control of Kakashi-chan when I'll deem it necessary."** Its expression then twisted in a snarl. **"DON'T do anything to the seal, or else you'll see this little boy rejecting his own chakra, and I'll take over his body forever!"** the bijuu threatened with his most dangerous don't-mess-with-me look that he could pull off. Just to offer good advice, it then added, "**Treat my vessel well, humans. If I feel anything is out of place…"** his face twisted in rage, **"…all of you WILL regret it."**

His red eyes then slid shut and Kakashi slumped again in Minato's arms.

* * *

"Hey, hey, Rin!" Obito whispered to his left. "Don't you feel something is… off?"

She frowned and nodded. "Hai… maybe someone noticed us and decided to warn us…?"

Obito bit his lip. What should they do? Continue their "find out what's wrong with Bakakashi" mission, disregarding the danger? Or should they back off with a strategic retreat? _'This kind of decision is more suited for Bakakashi and Minato-sensei…'_ Obito thought. He decided to look around and check their surroundings. They were right outside the Hokage Tower at 9:15 in the morning. The majority of the shinobi were out training, doing missions, or fighting outside Konoha on the battlefield. The streets were full of civilians and the occasional injured jonin or chuunin. Sometimes a genin team passed nearby while jogging.

Maybe they should continue…?

"MY YOUTHFUL FRIENDS!" a voice boomed behind them, making them jump ten feet in the air "HOW ARE YOUR FLAMES OF YOUTH?" Obito stared in shocked horror at the spandex-wearing kid. WHY did they run into GAI of all people?

"G-Gai-kun… hi…" Rin managed to greet with wide eyes: her heart was still beating like mad after that scare. "Ano… we're doing well… and you?" she then asked, just to be polite. "I'M AS YOUTHFUL AS EVER, RIN-CHAN! THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONCERN!" the… overly enthusiastic genin replied. "WHERE IS MY HIP AND COOL ETERNAL RIVAL?"

"You mean Bakakashi?" Obito asked before he could stop himself. The other boy nodded with too much energy and they were sure his eyes sparkled. "…uh… we think he's there" he answered while pointing at the red building behind them.

"YOSH! THEN I'LL ENTER AND CHALLENGE HIM TO MY YOUTHFUL CHALLENGE! OTHERWISE I'LL CLIMB THE HOKAGE'S MONUMENT WITHOUT MY RIGHT ARM WHILE SINGING 'THE KUNAI IS ON THE FLOOR'!" Gai yelled at the top of his lungs while he ran inside the Tower with all his youthfulness.

Obito and Rin blinked and suspected the presence of a genjutsu when they saw a rainbow in Gai's wake and a sunset on the horizon. They looked at each other and decided to wait until Kakashi left the building.

* * *

**A/N: The last ending you anticipated, ne? XD It looks like every chapter is longer than the one before… I don't know how long the last will be… ugh.**

**However! Second chapter! The title is crappy, but at least it means that poor little Minato has a panic attack! Still, if you're wondering what the Nightmare meant: it's complicated. Shortly, it means the memories of Older Kakashi merged slightly with Younger Kakashi. The red pain is, of course, all of Kurama's chackra (all that he had before travelling, that's it). If you don't know why Minato promptly ignored the strange visions, it's just because there's a damn bijuu inside his student! The more urgent matter is the demon, of course. When the whole ordeal is finished, he'll ask.**

**Chibi Vocabulary time!**

**Kage Bunshin: shadow clone. The jutsu Naruto kept doing. That.**

**Kusa no Kuni: Grass Country if I'm not mistaking. The one of the Kannabi Bridge.**

**Bakakashi: Kakashi's nickname, decided by Obito.**

**Jinchuuriki: bijuu's host. Not literally, but it indicates those few ninjas.**

**Sandaime: the Third. Until I say "Tsuchikage", "Raikage", ecc., it'll mean Sandaime Hokage.**

**Beware of the Kitsune's rage!**

**-Shiiroi Kitsune21**


	4. Chapter 3: Deal

**Answering Callian31: Kakashi could achieve the Nine-tailed mode ONLY after adapting to Kurama's chackra AND agreeing to use it (I don't think Kurama could force it without transforming like in Pain's attack… but that wasn't nine-tailed CHACKRA mode, more like breaking the seal). … I wanted to sign with "Shiiroi Kitsune21" under the end Author's Note. I'm only one person, don't worry ;)**

**Answering TegzTsinelas: Uhm… the prologue (and half-ish chapter 1) was written by me yesterday evening (?), but I couldn't upload it until morning… eh. Kushina WILL appear (there wouldn't be Minato without Kushina-chan XD), but I need to plan better her interaction. Read the A/N below to understand :D. About little 'Kashi-chan and control: Kurama said to just give him control and Kakashi REFUSED, thus the Kyuubi took over forcefully. IF and ONLY IF Kakashi decides to let Kurama take over Kakashi won't faint. :3**

**Answering Bananarock509: … you know, I didn't think about Naruto's jinchuuriki status. Oops. But of course I won't make poor little Kakashi die! This Chapter will answer… meh. :D And yes, of course you can laugh! I'll still try to sneak some sad-attempted humor, after all!**

**Answering Prescripto13: are you reading my mind? O.o**

**(Tell me if you want me to answer in private…) Beware of the Chapter 3!**

**Naruto I own not. Otherwise you would see Kakashi's little kids everywhere. **

**Beta'd by boomvroomshroom! :D**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Deal**

"… Minato-kun, please calm down," the Sandaime said.

Easier said than done. Try as he might, Minato couldn't bring himself to release his shaking hands from Kakashi's clothes. Not that the Hokage wouldn't admit feeling one of his deepest fears, but he managed to keep a somewhat calm exterior to help the others do the same.

The blonde jonin looked at his elder, before forcefully slowing his breathing to regain a little of control over his strong emotions. He was completely frozen, still not believing that, in a morning, his life was turned upside down.

In the meantime, Jiraiya had managed to take off the chakra-suppressant seals from the walls, his face still white from shock. He had initially planned on… doing some research in the hot springs for the rest of the day, and instead, he found himself with a damnbijuu sealed inside his student's student, Sakumo's son. Could this day get any weirder?

"YOUTHFUL HOKAGE-SAMA!"

…ugh, he shouldn't have challenged Life.

"HOKAGE-SAMA! WHAT HAPPENED TO MY ETERNAL RIVAL?" the newcomer shouted right after slamming the door open. Jiraya didn't remember his name, but little genin mustn't know anything about bijuus… especially _living megaphones_.

"This is confidential, kiddo. Your 'eternal rival' needs to rest and won't come… with… you…" The Sannin trailed off, seeing waterfalls of tears flow endlessly from the boy's eyes. He appeared like he wanted to shout something sappy and 'youthful', but fortunately the Sandaime cut him off.

"Hound," he called, the ANBU kneeling at the Hokage's right, "bring Kakashi to the medical wing, code 342-red. Now." The other Black Ops agent tensed: 342-red? A jinchuuriki with a faulted seal was something for at least a black code! And saying it in front a little genin, no less! Still, that wasn't his decision and didn't argue.

Hound, meanwhile, disappeared with a shunshin taking the silver-haired boy away from his sensei.

The blonde's eyes lit with fury when he noticed his student wasn't in his arms, but he calmed down again at the Sandaime's hand sign to stop. For a second no one said anything.

"I SHALL CLIMB THE HOKAGE'S MONUMENT WITHOUT MY RIGHT ARM WHILE SINGING 'THE KUNAI IS ON THE FLOOR' BECAUSE OF MY FAILURE TO CHALLENGE MY RIVAL! GOODBYE HOKAGE-SAMA!" the down-right weird shinobi yelled while running out of the room. Minato, Jiraya and Hiruzen exchanged glances; then the latter ordered them to keep an eye out for the unknown fuinjutsu user who might still be cheerfully roaming in the village.

* * *

Kakashi found himself in a freezing library.

Of all the things he thought could happen, this wasn't what he expected (like everything that happened that morning), expecially after feeling the demon take control. He shivered: THAT wasn't something he wished to experience again.

He looked around, trying to find something that could help him understand where he was. The library was huge and too wide: there were a lot of books (some were even as big as dictionaries!) on the several shelves, and there was still a lot of empty space. He couldn't even see the ceiling, and that was saying something. That still didn't stop him from asking himself why was it so damn freezing?

_'__You won't find out how to get out if you don't move,'_ he thought. Then, _'...it's even better if you don't freeze to death'._ He really wished for something to keep himself warm, but without dry wood and Katon jutsus he couldn't create a fire and bring it with him.

A split of second after he finished the thought, a strange reddish flame burst on his right, making him jump slightly. He looked around, but he still didn't see anyone. Kakashi examined the little fire: it was obviously hot and its blood-red color held traces of his white chakra, visible on the flame's tips. The chuunin frowned: why would a random fire suddenly pop out because Kakashi wanted it?

Looking closer, the boy thought he heard a faint laughter coming from it. He shook his head: after what happened that day, he didn't think anything could surprise him that much. Not even if an army of Iwa-nin decided to dress in pink tutus with shiny little gems and dance in front of his eyes while singing some dumb song backwards.

…and the little silver-haired chuunin's eyes almost popped out of their sockets when his thought materialized in front of him.

He rubbed his eyes, trying to hold on his last threads of sanity left in him. He blinked twice. The imaginary army kept dancing and singing backwards. And they wore the pink tutus he was imagining too.

Now he was _sure_ the fire was laughing at him.

Kakashi wished those disturbing images to disappear and, fortunately, they did.

"What's so funny?" he snapped at the fire while glaring at it.

It laughed even louder and the red part begun to grow. Kakashi found himself unable to move away from the fire, now surrounding him completely. Fortunately, it didn't reach his skin (he felt enough burning sensations for the day) and simply blocked his sight for a second. The silver-haired chuunin closed his eyes until he didn't feel the weird red fire around him anymore, only a slight warm.

The sight of a very seal-free, huge and orange nine-tailed fox smirking at him near a white bonfire was unexpected.

**"****Finally we meet, uhm?" **the fox growled** "… don't look at me like that. I politely asked for control, and you refused." **It then said, his smirk widening at the shocked expression on the boy's mostly-covered face.** "And then you wished warmth in your own mindscape. Very sad place, in my opinion."**

"What are you? Why are you HERE?" Kakashi eventually asked before his brain could tell him that yelling at a huge demon wasn't his brightest idea. At the very least he knew where he was and what his new 'neighbor' was like.

**"****You don't KNOW?" **the fox snarled, his tails swinging back and forth behind it,** "I'm the all-mighty, most powerful and wise of the Bijuu! I'm the great Kyuubi no Kitsune, pathetic human! Tales of my strength are spread across the whole shinobi world, my very title frightfully whispered and feared!" **the newly revealed Kyuubi shouted with pride.

Kakashi was speechless.

**"****However…" **it said,** "Kami chose me to see what the future will bring on the world…" **its voice raised and the Kyuubi stared at Kakashi,** "…and I decided to change the bloody path it will take, inevitably leading to my death!" **It was obvious that he couldn't very well say "I came from the future with older-you's chakra to save the world because I felt pity towards my host –your sensei's brat, by the way- and your sufferings AND I didn't want to die".

…well, he COULD. But the chuunin would without a doubt spill all of it and Kurama had more pride than that to admit he felt something like pity. So… he lied.

Kakashi's jaw hit the mindscape's floor. The Kyuubi lowered his head on his paws ('with deadly too-sharp claws!' the boy's mind had to add) and waited the chuunin to process the new informations. After a few seconds, the mess of running thoughts in Kakashi's mind managed to slow down a little from 'WTF?' to 'I'm-trying-very-hard-to-understand-this-bullshit', so Kurama decided to offer a deal.

**"****Kit," **it spoke up,** "I'm asking you to help me with this goal. If you agree, I'll lend you my chackra when it's necessary, offer you almost endless stamina and inhuman healing ability" **the Kyuubi said to a wide-eyed Kakashi.** "In turn, you'll let me take control IMMEDIATELY when I ask you to," **Kurama empathized on the 'immediately' with the Glare of Doom,** "and don't reveal the future to ANYONE, not even the Hokage."**

The ten-year-old chuunin was even more shocked: a deal? He then thought about the little fact that the Kyuubi could take control whenever he wanted, all the while gleefully drowning him with his red chakra, shivering unconsciously.

What the Kitsune was offering was rather tempting and deadly useful, too: it was like a peace treaty, where all sides gained something. Kakashi could fight for Konoha even better with the bijuu's power, true, but blindly offering control was something that wasn't too comforting. And why shouldn't he tell everything the Kyuubi said about this bloody future?

Still, Kakashi didn't have much choice (if Kurama's condescending smirk while he analyzed the pros and cons was anything to go by), and decided the less painful route of working together.

"I'll… agree," he said, "if you promise to NOT destroy Konoha," he added looking at the demon's eyes. It smirked gleefully, showing all his sharp fangs in a satisfied grin.** "Agreed, little Kit," **it almost chirped**, "I won't destroy Konohagakure no Sato, and you will listen to me. By the way…" **the Kitsune added,** "… My name's Kurama, just to let you know."**

* * *

"Minato-sensei!"

Said blonde man was tackled by his little genins, almost falling on the ground. "Sensei! What happened to Kakashi-kun?" Rin asked with wide eyes, "Will he be OK?" "Why was Bakakashi acting strange?" Obito added from his sensei's right.

"Look at who we met, Minato!" Jiraya beamed from the door with a wide smile. The jonin smiled a little seeing the tiny duo, but everyone could see the deep worry within his light-blue eyes. "…Kashi-kun will be up in no time," he answered, "he'll be already jumping out of the window when we'll miss him, like usual…" the blonde closed his eyes in what he hoped was a reassuring smile, patting his genins' hair.

"…AND THEN THE KUNAI MET THE FLOOOOOOOOOR! LA, LALALALA, LA! THE NINJA OPENED THE DOOOOOOOOR! OHH, UOHH, UOHHH! YEAY, YEAY, YEAY!..."

Everyone sweat-dropped. Looking at the Hokage's monument above them, they saw that yes, Maito Gai was climbing it and singing(more like yelling at the top of his lungs). With his right arm firmly behind his back.

On a normal day, Minato would have laughed a little at the genin's weird tendencies, but right now he was too worried: at least the Hokage didn't put Kakashi in complete isolation (as was decided for the black code), allowing Minato to visit his silver-haired student.

He still couldn't shake off the feeling of absolute fear that seeing the demon's red eyes made him feel, the helplessness that froze him on the spot. He only hoped that Kakashi could hold off the demon until Minato and Jiraya do something about it. They had to contact Kushina, however: she knew a lot about bijuu and Jinchuuriki, she was a Fuinjutsu master and was the best to help Kakashi.

Fortunately, she was already returning from a mission: then Kushina could fix this whole ordeal and Kakashi could still be a shinobi. Right?

"What if we visit him later, eh?" Minato suggested to the genin and Jiraya. "We'll see how is his condition and shake off this worry, don't you agree?" he added with faked cheerfulness.

The blonde really wished what he said to be true.

* * *

**A/N: Christmas update! :D**

**In the next I'll maybe insert Kushina-chan and 'don't-worry-about-me' Kakashi! … I said almost all at the beginning. Still, about Kushina: Kurama was holding his chackra within the seal, not allowing any to flow outside. Plus, the Uzumaki wasn't there, so… no problems for now!**

**Gai is still youthful and… loud. Everyone will think something's off, but they won't understand all. Ah, and Older Kakashi WAS in the mindscape: the white bonfire! :D He doesn't have enough chackra to interact at the moment, but he's slowly reforming, don't worry! … it will take a lot of time, though.**

**'****The kunai is on the floor' is something I created on the spot to add humor: YAY for Singer!Gai!**

**Beware of the Kitsune's rage!**

**Shiiroi Kitsune21**


	5. Chapter 4: What happens now?

**Reviews! Yay! AND READ MY PROFILE FOR THE NEWS!**

**Answering Bananarock509: Older Kakashi will appear LATER (how much, don't know :P). And I, uh… forgot to mention Kushina's Jinchuuriki status… ops. AND YES! KAKASHI IS TOO AWESOME FOR DEATH!**

**Answering Bursting Rage: … ops. I wrote wrong. Silly me! :D I said in the description more-or-less correct words… well, THANK YOU FOR POINTING THAT OUT! I'll change from now on! **

**If you're asking yourselves why sometimes Kurama is referred as an 'it' and others as 'him', it's because some people think of the Kyuubi as a demon that doesn't deserve to be treated like a person, while someone else thinks (Kurama included) that 'it' isn't the way you refer to a sentient being.**

**EDIT: Corrected some commas and periods. **

**Do I own Naruto? Of course not! If I did Madara would have a better haircut.**

* * *

**Chapter 4: What happens now?**

The great Kyuubi no Kitsune was currently observing Kakashi's mindscape and thinking. Really, there wasn't anything else to do now. At least the seal wasn't oppressive and he could use his chakra to keep himself warm and dry. Naruto's seal was really strong, even if it was open: Kurama could give chakra only to the host, while the seal rejected the one used to dry the sewer.

When Kurama travelled back in time, he didn't expect Kakashi's mind to be so… cold. _Fucking freezing_ would be the best words to say it. But the Kyuubi had to control every time the chakra's flow: too much and he would burn the boy's chakra coils, too little and the chuunin wouldn't adapt in time to the new guest inside him. Plus, Kurama had to keep the white bonfire lit, otherwise Kakashi would spontaneously reject the demon's chakra and die painfully: for a ten-years-old the Hatake had resistant coils, but without the Older Kakashi's chakra there wouldn't be anything to 'filter' the bijuu's.

Kurama's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps.

* * *

"Ano… sensei?"

"Yes, Rin? What is it?"

"Why are we here? I've never seen this place…" she waved her arms to empathize the point.

Minato chuckled. "Of course you didn't! This is the Underground ANBU Medical Facility, a place reserved for… special cases." he then replied, hoping that she wouldn't ask which cases.

The girl's eyes widened. "Sensei, what happened to Kakashi-kun? Is he OK?" Rin frantically asked.

"Rin, keep your voice low!" the jonin whispered, noticing some ANBUs were watching them like hawks. Obviously, they were asking themselves 'why are there two little genins?'

The girl lowered slightly her head, but Minato could see her need to know what happened to her silver-haired teammate. But could Minato lie to his students?

Fortunately, that wasn't necessary, because Jiraya spoke up. "He was poisoned." the Sannin lied easily, even in front of the duo's shocked faces, "We suspect an enemy managed to enter in the village and poisoned him with strange venom. It affects the chakra system and the medical ANBUs are doing what they can to keep him stable and heal him."

Minato was stunned by Jiraya's lying abilities. Sure, the pervert was a spy and lying was like breathing, but doing it to two little innocent genins with such poker face and ease!

"… room 342, code red. Kakashi's here." the Sannin said, opening the reinforced door.

* * *

_A bit before_

**"****Kit, wake up.** **You have visitors". **Kakashi would have jumped from the bed at the voice if he was free to do so. _'What place is this? What happened?' _he thought. He tried to move, but he was tied to the bed with thick ropes under a white blanket. The chuunin looked around: there were strange seals on the walls, five chairs and a heart monitor, which was liked to him.

**"****Those are chakra suppressants. Keh." **Kurama gave a mental smirk. **"Looks like they still think I'm going to kill everyone!" **he exclaimed. _'So they tied me because you can take control?' _**"I DID say that I was feared, didn't I?" **the fox gleefully said.

**"****Now be a good boy and keep calm!" **he added, right before the door opened.

"Kashi-kun? How do you feel?" Minato asked, worry lingering his eyes. "Better than before, sensei." the boy answered, "…is everyone else OK?"

"Kakashi!" Rin raised her voice, "YOU were poisoned, why do you ask if the others are OK?" her face settled in a worried look, staring right into the chuunin's eyes "We all were worried for YOU!" the girl then kept talking about health and medics and poisons, but Kakashi wasn't exactly listening.

_'__Poison?' _**"****They couldn't very well say you have me, don't you think?" **Kakashi agreed. Then, in a moment, on Rin's chest appeared a hole, while her lips were covered in blood. The chuunin paled considerably and looked to his sensei.

But Minato had a hole through his abdomen, too, his face pale like a corpse's. Kakashi's eyes widened and desperately looked away, settling on Obito. He really shouldn't have.

The happy Uchiha's left was blood-stained, while his right was completely gone like dust on a windy day except for the head, which was horribly scarred. His right eye was red ('_the Sharingan_?' Kakashi asked himself), while his left was violet with strange black circles.

At this point, Kakashi started hyperventilating.

"Kakashi!" "Bakakashi!" "Kashi-kun!" "Brat!" the four people exclaimed. What's happening to him? 'The demon's taking over _again_?' Minato and Jiraya frantically thought 'This is SO not the time!' Jiraya looked at the seals on the walls: they weren't disturbed by any chakra! What caused this?

**"****OI! KIT! CALM DOWN!" **Kurama snarled in Kakashi's head **"WHERE'S YOUR CONTROL, HATAKE?" **Seeing he didn't obtain any results, the Kyuubi gave the mental version of a punch on the head (not enough to give him a concussion, only a little headache), hoping that the pain could clear his mind a bit.

Kakashi winced and his breathing _finally_ slowed, right when four ANBUs slammed the door open.

* * *

Sarutobi Hiruzen firmly thought that he was too old for this job.

Really, he didn't expect an enemy fuinjutsu user to cheerfully sneak inside Konoha AND seal a damn _bijuu_ inside one of his shinobis, all the while avoiding capture.

Right after declaring Kakashi's Jinchuuriki status an S-rank secret, he summoned the head of the Sensor's unit, the ANBU's Commander and the Elders (Homura, Koharu and Danzo) to inform them of the situation and ask them if they felt something suspicious in the last days.

"We didn't sense any enemy shinobi or bijuu-like chakra, Hokage-sama." Hikari Ryuu of the Sensor's unit affirmed, "I apologize for our failure to intercept him." he bowed slightly, his spiky brown hair covering his green eyes.

The ANBU Commander gritted his teeth. "We didn't feel anything too, Sandaime-sama," Hiruzen could pick up the frustrated undertone behind the white mask. "even after we examined the Hatake's apartment we didn't find any lead. It's like the unknown shinobi never existed." he finished almost in a growl, his fox-like white and red mask amplifying his anger.

"So you are saying that our _elite_ ANBU," Danzo begun, sneering the word 'elite', "didn't sense _anything_ right where the sealing took place and the chakra should be stuck on _everything_!" the man finished with a scowl. He felt anger at their failure, but some of it was reserved for his ROOT shinobi, too: not even they managed to find anything.

Commander Kitsune bristled in anger and his short black hair seemed to lift slightly with K.I., then the Hokage motioned him to calm down a little.

"Hiruzen," Homura begun, "we need to decide what to do with the Jinchuuriki. We can't let two of them to roam freely, expecially one with a faulted seal!" he raised his voice.

The Hokage very carefully didn't twitch at the way the Elder referred the little chuunin. "_Kakashi-kun," _the Sandaime replied, "will resist with all of his will and he won't be a danger if he could help it. Plus, when the demon managed to take over, it only talked to us, even if it could have broken the seal." Danzo wanted to argue, but the Hokage blocked him. "The bijuu threatened to go on a rampage ONLY if Kakashi-kun was mistreated or we tampered with the seal. For now it's better to observe how the demon is affecting him." the Elders opened their mouths to talk, but Hiruzen continued. "We'll act _if_ it will try to break the seal again. But ONLY in this case."

"Hiruzen!" Danzo shouted angrily, "How can you trust a DEMON? The Hatake is now a time-bomb inside Konoha and it's OUR DUTY to protect it! Did you think that the Kyuubi inside the Uzumaki wasn't enough to let free?!" "Who knows what could happen if they meet?" Koaru spoke up, "Then we would have TWO BIJUUS rampaging in Konoha!" Homura was going to add his two cents, when…

"SILENCE!" the Hokage ordered with all his authority. The Elders quietly shut their mouths. Kitsune seemed slightly gleeful that Danzo was yelled at. Ryuu straightened in his seat in the Hokage's council room.

Danzo of course decided to insist, "It would be better if the Hatake was under my tutelage." The Hokage would have choked if he was drinking something, but his shock was seen only by the slight widening of his eyes. "This way the two Jinchuurikis wouldn't meet and I could train him to control the bijuu." Danzo obviously didn't point out that, if the Sandaime accepted, the chuunin would join his ROOT program and all Danzo's to control, a heartless weapon.

The Sandaime was clearly suspicious, so he said, "For now we'll see how Kakashi-kun is affected by the demon. Only if he's too unstable we'll see if he wants to join you. Now you're all dismissed."

The Elders reluctantly bowed and stood up, leaving the room with Ryuu right behind them. "Kitsune," the Hokage called, "bring in my office Uzumaki Kushina. She should be already handing her mission report." The ANBU Commander bowed with a short, "Hai, Hokage-sama." and promptly left the room with a shunshin.

* * *

Uzumaki Kushina was really happy.

She returned from a month-long A-ranked mission and she was finishing her report (should she write that the Kumo-nin mocked her beautiful red hair and Kushina kicked him right where it hurts the most? Or only that he _squeaked_ in pain?) while eating her favourite cookies, when an ANBU appeared in her room.

"Kushina-san" a fox-masked ANBU said in a monotone. Kushina glared at him (who dared to interrupt her _cookie time_?) and finished her mission report in seconds (she couldn't even add all of her amazing acts of bravery!) before asking "What is it, ANBU-san?" in an annoyed tone.

The ANBU was completely unimpressed "Hokage-sama wants you in his office immediately" he replied briskly and offered his hand. When Kushina raised an eyebrow at that, Kitsune added "I'll shunshin you there" before falling silent again.

_Now_ Uzumaki Kushina was very annoyed, but obeyed all the same.

* * *

"Ah, good afternoon, Kushina-san, I hope you're well." the Sandaime greeted the woman when she appeared in his office. Kitsune bowed and teleported away.

"Good afternoon, Hokage-sama." Kushina replied back and offered her mission report. Hiruzen took it (he didn't even ask why it smelled like cookies) and took a deep breath.

"Kushina," he begun, the red-haired woman straightening her back at the solemn tone. "what I'm about to tell you is a S-ranked secret." The Uzumaki's eyes widened. What required her skills immediately after she returned from a mission?

"An enemy shinobi used a seal on Hatake Kakashi." Kushina tensed more at the name (one of Minato's students! Whatever this enemy did, he was _so_ going to pay _– dattebane_!) but stayed silent.

"The mysterious shinobi managed to seal a bijuu inside him with a purposely faulted Jinchuuriki seal without leaving any trace. I'm asking you to help him."

Kushina's jaw fell open.

* * *

**A/N: Helloooooooooo! I'm updating once a day for now! And I have two stories on hold, believe it!**

**Thumbs down for Evil!Danzo! (Danzo is always evil, but oh well) If you're going to ask me if 'Kashi-chan will end up in ROOT *collective shudder*, NO, he won't. Not with Minato and almost everyone opposing that decision. **

**Feed me with reviews and READ MY PROFILE! I'M PREPARING TWO OTHER STORIES BUT I WANT TO KNOW WHICH ONE YOU WANT FIRST! **

**Beware of the Kitsune's rage!**

**-Shiiroi Kitsune21**


	6. Chapter 5: Who's this impostor?

**Good eeeeevening, followers! ;) (I'm still waiting for votes about the stories… check the profile)**

**Answering bananarock509: Naruto's soul already left the body (thus no Naruto's chakra)… so nope, poor little Naruto didn't travel back! I know, I'm cruel… sigh. And YES, they know it's a demon, but until Kushina (or the Kyuubi) recognizes the chakra they won't know which one! ;)**

**Answering TegzTsinelas, which review didn't appear to me until now: Kushina's Kyuubi will try to throw a tantrum about "who's that impostor?!", "why is he working with a human?", and "why isn't he breaking the seal to free me as well?" I didn't know if I should have added the "Kyuubi is acting strange" factor in Kushina's part, so I didn't. :3 And, uh, Older Kakashi's habits: no, Younger Kakashi will try to be on time, even if he'll feel like being late… and I don't think he'll read porn (not yet, BUAHAHA!). About eye-smiles, implausible excuses, aloof behavior, sarcasm ecc. … you'll have to read ;)**

**Answering Prescripto13: exactly what I thought for Kushina's intervention! The coldness should represent Kakashi's lack of emotion (I know he showed them in those chapters, but in the normal timeline he was an emotionless stick-up-his-ass, ne?) and the warmth was Kurama's chakra. The white bonfire will continue to grow and the mindscape will change a bit… ;) **

**And, uh, if you're wondering about the whole 'I-see-dead-people': the memories of Older and Younger Kakashi merged, so his vision is doubled into 'current person-corpse'! Ugh, poor 'Kashi-chan…**

**EDIT: Corrected some commas and periods. **

**Still don't own Naruto! Otherwise Danzo would have died much before.**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Who's this impostor?!**

The four ANBU calmly suggested Minato and the genins to leave the room (more like throwing them out, but no one was about to argue).

The ninjas of Team Minato (minus Kakashi) were more worried than ever. The chuunin didn't start hyperventilating for nothing, but that left the question: what happened to him?

Obito and Rin were staring at Minato for answers and guidance and the blonde begun: "A-ano… we'll train tomorrow… at 7:30 in the morning… at Training Ground 21…" he looked around worriedly. "…I don't think that the ANBUs would agree to let us check on 'Kashi-kun…".

"But he's our teammate!" Obito yelled, even if Minato motioned him to lower his voice, "They can't stop us from checking on Bakakashi! Right?" Rin bit her lip, but her look was resigned. "…Obito-kun" she whispered "it looked like our presence caused that… 'scene'".

"They'll never allow us to come if he isn't dismissed." Minato concluded, but his face made known what he thought about it. Obito looked defeated. Not even sensei could do something.

Team Minato left the building and headed to their apartments.

* * *

Danzo was not satisfied (he never was).

He couldn't shape Kushina into a weapon (even when he pointed out how powerful she could be with the Kyuubi's power), but he wasn't about to let go the possibility to do the same with the little Hatake prodigy.

Hiruzen didn't see the danger and the value of that little Jinchuuriki because of his stupid ideals of peace, childhood and sunshine! Danzo had to become Hokage for Konoha's good, even if that meant kill his friend.

The village could rule above the whole shinobi world if all the ninja were under Danzo's command.

But for now he couldn't very well oppose the old fool's orders to just observe the Hatake. At the moment Danzo would do as told… he _did_ consider tampering with the seal to '_encourage_' the Hokage to hand him the Jinchuuriki, but it would be counter-productive having a rampaging bijuu inside the village.

His ROOT shinobis were clueless about the mysterious enemy, as were the Hokage's ANBU. This was rather worrisome and troublesome (Shikaku Nara sneezed): now they had to cover the holes in the defenses _and_ fight the war on their borders with Iwa and Kumo! Problem was that they didn't have a lot of shinobis right now, and most of them were already on duty.

Fortunately Konoha was known for the quality of its ninjas: the Toad Sage, the Slug Princess, the Snake Sannin, the Yellow Flash… and, four years ago, there was also the White Fang (then he committed suicide. Totally not Danzo's fault for once) Plus, the most powerful of the bijuu was sealed in the Red Habanero, kunoichi fighting by Konoha's side!

…this left the little Hatake, Jinchuuriki of an unknown demon and extremely loyal to the village, to find his place in the Third Great Shinobi War.

Danzo still thought that the young chuunin was wasted under the tutelage of two emotional fools.

* * *

_The next day _

"Hatake Kakashi," a bird-masked ANBU said emotionlessly, "you're dismissed from the Underground ANBU Medical Facility." he frowned behind the mask, but concluded all the same, "… you have to go to the Training Ground 45 at 8:10 this morning. Goodbye." The ANBU promptly left.

**"…****this soon?" **Kurama asked with a raised eyebrow (?) when Kakashi walked outside the building. The latter shrugged inwardly and went home to grab his equipment.

Unfortunately, the villagers were just like Kurama remembered: sneering, ignorant and hateful humans who glared at whoever they felt deserved the worst treatment possible. Even chuunin and jonins did the same towards little Naruto, but the reason, at least, was obvious: they knew the Kyuubi was sealed within him, and all of them resented the fox that almost destroyed Konoha. Of course that wasn't fair in the slightest, but that was _almost_ understandable.

However, to do the same to ten-years-old Kakashi was even more infuriating: the boy didn't do anything wrong and, for the public knowledge, he didn't have a bijuu inside him. Hell, the little Hatake was a _chuunin_ and was extremely loyal to the village! Did they want him to become a _nukenin_? Fortunately for those fools, Kakashi remained a Konoha shinobi, proving all of them wrong about their assumptions.

That didn't stop Kurama from letting his malicious chakra to bubble in anger and homicidal rage. _'Kurama?' _**"What?" **the Kitsune growled. _'… Could you calm down your chakra? Others might sense you' _Kakashi replied mentally. The Kyuubi did an award-winning effort to limit his anger and he asked in a snarl: **"Why do these ****_ignorant bastards_**** glare at ****_you_****?! How do they DARE?" **

Kakashi used all of his will to keep his face impassive during that burst. _'Because… they still compare me to Sakumo Hatake… the White Fang.' _**"…He was your father, right?" **Kakashi only tensed. Kurama assumed a thoughtful expression. **"How can you stand all of their unfair hate without killing them?" **the demon bluntly asked. It was something he wondered when he was sealed inside Naruto but didn't question because, when they became partners, the boy was already the world's hero.

Kakashi thought about it. He didn't have many clues. _'…in the first Shinobi Rule is written to never disobey the Hokage and betray the village.'_ The chuunin could feel the Kyuubi's raised eyebrow (how does a demon have eyebrows?) and unimpressed expression, so he added, _'and I would never let down Minato-sensei and Sandaime-sama!' _

Kurama still wasn't convinced about the reason, but dismissed it as a fact of life.

* * *

Kushina was still shocked.

Really, who could have known that little Kakashi would become a _Jinchuuriki_? She could feel the Kyuubi thrashing in her seal while snarling colourful curses. The Uzumaki asked to herself if she was ready to help Minato's student in controlling his bijuu: after all, she wasn't exactly on good terms with the Kyuubi.

(Who was still cursing. Loudly.)

And if whatever was sealed inside Kakashi could rampage around on a whim… well, that was just _what_ Kushina _needed_ to not feel pressured. Every Konoha citizen and shinobi unknowingly depended on her ability to help the little boy. And if the bijuu's chakra strengthened the Kyuubi's?

The Uzumaki shook her head. It was better if she didn't think about that and kept walking towards the Training Ground 45.

* * *

As she expected, little Kakashi was already there, waiting.

He looked at her with a slightly shocked expression and a tense posture (why? …ah. Jinchuuriki, faulted seal. Right.). Kushina still shouted, "Hellooooooo 'Kashi-kun!" with a big grin on her face.

For a moment he seemed to listen to another voice, then he quietly greeted back with a "Good morning Kushina-san." and a slight nod. He looked rightfully worried at the trees near him. "Well, Kakashi-kun, the Hokage ordered me to help you with your… 'little problem'." the red-haired woman said. The boy nodded and looked at her with both eyebrows raised in question.

"First, I need to know how he (or she) is like." Kushina declared, sitting near a tree's roots. Kakashi took a deep breath. "He's a huge nine-tailed fox," he replied, then he frowned. "…he introduced himself as Kyuubi no Kitsune, but his name is Kurama."

Kushina was gaping with wide eyes at the little chuunin. What the hell? _Two furballs?_

**"****WHO DARES TO IMPERSONATE MYSELF?!" **Kushina's Kyuubi snarled furiously, **"LET ME OUT, PATHETIC HUMAN! I NEED TO RIP HIM APART!" **The thrashing in the seal was so intense that Kushina winced and gripped her stomach, while the demonic chakra was desperately trying to force its way out.

"Kushina-san!" Kakashi exclaimed, alarmed. _'What's happening to her?' _**"This is not good." **Kurama grimaced _'Well, thanks Captain Obvious! And now?' _Usually, Kurama would have growled at the sarcasm, but right now there was his past self that was throwing a tantrum, and it _always_ caused problems.

**"****HE DARED TO COPY MY OWN CHAKRA!" **the enraged Kyuubi roared again, **"HOW DARES ANOTHER DEMON TO THINK HE'S OVER HIS LEAGUE? I'LL TEACH HIM A LESSON!" **

'_NO!' _Kushina mentally screamed. What were the chances of a _Kyuubi's imitator_? She used her chakra to reinforce the seal, tying the fox more tightly in his prison of chains, causing the demon to struggle more forcefully.

**"****KIT! Touch her abdomen and let me work!"** Kakashi wasn't about to disobey but he still asked, _'Shoudn't we back off if our presence causes this?' _He could feel the fox's scowl. **"No, he won't calm if we run away." **Kurama replied and, sensing the boy's confusion, he clarified, **"My past self is sealed in her and, until he lays his claws on me, he'll still try to break the seal!" **

Kakashi placed his hands on Kushina's stomach and felt a disturbing amount of energy before blacking out.

* * *

The tiger-masked shinobi was a little torn between helping the two Jinchuurikis and reporting to his leader. Still, the orders were orders, so he immediately left the Training Ground.

When he reported Danzo-sama looked slightly happy (and sadistic? Tiger couldn't tell) at the news: like a kid in front of a candy shop with the writing "FREE CANDIES!" on a sign over the entrance. Then the elder man started muttering something about "Hiruzen", "fools", "my sweet power", "Hokage", "rightful guidance" and "all mine" in an evilly gleeful tone.

"Tiger, come with me." Danzo-sama ordered coolly, grabbing his cane and heading towards the door. Then he stopped and called Snake, telling him to summon the Elders in the Council's room. Snake obeyed.

Danzo started walking outside and the ROOT shinobi followed him through the corridors.

* * *

**A/N: this was just evil, eh? ;P **

**This chapter is pretty crappy, but the next should explain how Kushina's Kyuubi will calm down and Evil!Danzo's plan to throw off Hiruzen and gain the Council's trust (Homura and Koharu are pretty evil assholes).**

**If you ask why the Kyuubi didn't recognize his future self's chakra before: it's because Kurama was holding tightly his own in the seal. And I've written a bit of Danzo's POV and Angry!Kyuubi! **

**Review, favourite, follow, ecc. ecc. (and check my profile. Really, tell me what story you prefer. I didn't want to do a survey… *puppy eyes no jutsu* pretty pleeeeease?)**

**Beware of the Kitsune's rage!**

**-Shiiroi Kitsune21 **


	7. Chapter 6: Friendly demon

**Yay! Evening Chapter again! :D**

**EDIT: Removed Obito's parents. His aunt and uncle aren't Mikoto and Fugaku. **

**Answering DoctorKnight: I'm drowning in happiness again! Thank you! To vote (as I've written to you and in the profile) you can simply send me a private message or type it in the reviews (the title of the story, of course) :)**

**Answering bananarock509: I agree with you but I can't kill Danzo (well, I CAN. But not without a good excuse for little 'Kashi-chan) yet. It's a really sad fact of life :'( But I'll try to make his death the most painful I can fit in the story! *evil laughter with thunders in the background***

**Answering Yungsun and shanao: thanks for the praise! I'll continue to write! ;)**

**Answering Prescripto13: Kurama saw Sakumo through Kushina's eyes and Kakashi's memories when he travelled back in time and he sealed himself in little Kashi-chan (the strange nightmare, remember?)  
Eheh, I think Kurama picked Naruto's Epic-speech no jutsu ;) She'll think more about the bijuu's friendliness, as will the Hokage Kurama used that chakra to anchor himself in a determinate point of time AND place (Kakashi): plus little Kakashi had already good chakra coils (not like a newborn's that could adapt quickly to the reserves of a bijuu), so Kurama needed to control the amount of chakra he let free. And Evil!Danzo is still plotting in the dark… buahahahha!**

**EDIT: Corrected some commas and periods. **

**I don't own Naruto. If I did, Naruto would have befriended Kurama much before.**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Friendly demon **

Uzumaki Kushina didn't expect the Kyuubi to be _this_ angry. She didn't expect to be thrown in her mindscrape, either. She looked around and, with a wary sigh, started walking towards her seal to confront the Kyuubi.

She was surprised that half of her mindscrape now was a library. A _really cold_ library, of all things. The other part was, fortunately, like she remembered: bright, gold and white space.

As she neared the seal, she could hear more clearly a few voices. Kushina felt cold: what if the two Kyuubis worked together to break their seals and destroy Konoha? With this thought and other 'what ifs' in her mind, the red-head started running.

**"****-HOW DARE YOU? HUMANS ARE WEAK CREATURES, WHY DO YOU WANT TO WORK WITH HIM?!" **

**"****If you hate seals, then it's what you have to do-"**

**"****I WON'T STEP SO LOW TO BREAK FREE! WHY DON'T YOU COME HERE, SO I CAN ****_RIP YOU APART_****?!"**

**"****Who would have known I was like ****_this_****?"**

"… his screaming is hurting my hears…"

At this point, Kushina was worried sick for little Kakashi and tackled him in a bear hug. "KASHI-KUN!" she yelled right in his hear, "ARE YOU OK? IS THE OTHER KYUUBI DEMANDING FOR CONTROL - DATTEBANE?"

Kurama laughed, making Kushina shiver slightly and turn to look at him. He was very… free. And, _surprise surprise_, he wasn't trying to take control or anything. He was simply laughing (_disturbingly_, but laughing all the same).

**"****Kushina," **the free Kyuubi said, **"I won't force my will over the little Kit, you don't have to worry-"**

**"****YOU'RE A POOR EXCUSE OF A DEMON! HOW DO YOU DARE TO COPY MY APPEARANCE?!"**

**"****-because I decided to help him, and Konoha in turn. Turned a new tail, you know?" **he continued with a smug smirk, like the chained Kyuubi wasn't itching to kill him.

Kushina was gaping at the friendly demon (Kurama, right?) with wide eyes. If what he said was the truth, then she didn't have to help Kakashi control him (not that she wasn't happy, but was his friendliness genuine?).

Still, there was another Kyuubi who just wouldn't give up from breaking the seal.

"What were you saying to 'calm' him?" Kushina asked. Kurama shrugged and replied, **"The futility of being an asshole towards humans and struggling to break the seal."**

Kushina nodded and decided to wait there. She couldn't bind the evil demon with her chakra forever, so she agreed to let Kurama try his 'psychological approach'.

* * *

"Hound remained near the Uzumaki in the Training Ground 45 with chakra-suppressants seals, prepared for the worst-case scenario," Cat finished reporting to the Hokage "he sent me here to warn you, Sandaime-sama."

The older man thanked and dismissed the ANBU before sighing. Now he knew that little Kakashi had a _Kyuubi imitator_ inside him. Cat reported the chuunin's description of the demon and the strange spike of chakra that seemed to _reinforce_ Kushina's seal. A friendly demon, then?

The Hokage _did_ hear something about Killer Bee of Kumo and his partnership with the Hachibi, but that seemed a special case: plus, he heard it took _years_ to earn the cooperation of the bijuu. The fact that, in a day, this second Kyuubi was already helping Kakashi and Kushina… was strange.

Hiruzen was dubious about the reason behind the sealing: the bijuu wouldn't rampage around if the host didn't want it, but the chakra was too similar to the Kyuubi's. Maybe it was to cause the true Ninetailed Fox to destroy Konoha, boosted by the likeness between their chakras? It was still confusing, because the similar Kyuubi would help the host in stopping the attack.

The Sandaime sighed again. He was definitely too old for this job.

* * *

"… and I think that the Sandaime is losing his touch: his pathetic ideals of peace and childhood are going to lead to Konoha's fall!" Danzo spoke, "we have to do what is better for the village, changing the academy's training methods and training harder the new generation, the one that will take the older shinobi's place in the war! We don't have the time to coddle them and delude them into thinking the world is all rainbows and sunshine!"

Danzo was sure that with his fantastic speech he convinced the two Elders. They looked at each other, frowned and then turned to face the bandaged man. Koaru decided to speak: "We agree that Hiruzen is getting too soft for the position of Hokage…" Danzo almost smirked, "…but we can only propose the improvements you said: with the war at his climax, we can't afford to change Hokage." The ROOT commander wasn't too concerned: at the end of the war, he would become the Yondaime. He only had to wait.

Homura nodded. "We have to bring this up to Hiruzen before Konoha falls." Danzo smirked inwardly.

_Step one complete._

* * *

After what felt like hours, Kushina's Kyuubi finally roared: **"FINE! I'LL LIMIT MY STRUGGLES AND I'LL TRY TO BE NEUTRAL TOWARDS THE PATHETIC HUMANS! WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT?"**

Kurama smiled to himself. After repeating all the pros his past self would obtain if he stopped thrashing around, he finally gave up on trying to tear him apart and breaking the seal. Maybe Kurama picked up the Uzumaki's stubbornness after being inside Mito, Kushina and Naruto? Oh well. It worked, and that's what mattered.

**"****It would do for now," **he replied with a satisfied smirk, **"Now we'll leave the mindscrape. Take a deep breath…"**

Kakashi was abruptly brought to consciousness. He lifted himself to sit and looked around when a dog-masked ANBU approached him and Kushina while asking, "Are you OK Uzumaki-san? Kakashi-san?" The Hatake noted that the ANBU had some pieces of paper in his hands. **"They're chakra suppressants, Kit. He thought one of us demons was taking over." **Kurama answered with a smirk.

"Hai, hai… we're alright, ANBU-san." Kushina replied while rubbing her head. Hound visibly calmed down and hid himself in the trees again. The Uzumaki then looked at Kakashi.

"Well… he seems pretty collaborative." she uncertainly stated, "I don't think you need my instructions to remain in control." Kakashi nodded while Kurama chuckled. "But I can't help you in controlling his chakra. After all, I didn't... dattebane…" Kushina smiled sheepishly.

"Uhm… what you think about going to Ichiraku Ramen for lunch?"

* * *

Team Minato, after the morning's training (all the while missing their silver-haired teammate), were heading towards Ichiraku Ramen to eat together.

"Sensei, sensei! How did we do?" Obito enthusiastically asked. He was bruised and sweating, but on his face there was a bright smile. Minato chuckled a little. "You and Rin are improving, I have to admit: your moves are really unpredictable and Rin clearly knows how to place traps to save you when you get into trouble!" The kunoichi giggled at the Uchiha's indignant "Sensei!" and looked around: the streets were crowded and all the restaurants were full of hungry people.

"Kakashi-kun!" Rin exclaimed when she saw a flash of silver hair inside the Ramen stand. Minato and Obito turned their attention towards their teammate and the blonde hugged happily the little chuunin. He was babbling about how they missed him and how much Minato was worried about his condition when Kushina decided to shout "Minato-baka! Nice to finally see you around!" from one of the other seats.

Minato yelped, "K-Kushina-chan! Why are you here?" The red-head pouted "Can't I eat the best food in the whole world?" "Kushina-nee! Why is Bakakashi with you?" Obito then spoke up with wide eyes. The Uzumaki chuckled. "Well… Hokage-sama told me he needed a little help with something, soooo…" she trailed off.

_'__Because of the demon,'_ Minato thought uncomfortably. He almost forgot about it when he saw his little student sitting on Ichiraku's stools. The genins were blissfully unaware of the bijuu and the faulted seal on their teammate and continued to ask him question about what happened and if he was OK.

Right now, though, his girlfriend and his cute little team was here and he was going to enjoy the time he had with them. A shinobi never knows when his life will end.

* * *

_An hour and a half later_

"Kushina-chan, how is 'Kashi-kun?" Minato asked. He was itching to know the little chuunin's condition, and the Hokage's reason to assign him to Kushina was obvious.

His girlfriend looked at the privacy seals on the apartment's walls, then she spoke: "The bijuu inside him is a Kyuubi's imitator. Their chakra is almost the same." The blonde was left gaping. What the hell? If he didn't clearly see that the true Kyuubi was still sealed inside Kushina (and thus not destroying Konoha) he would be in a panic attack. Two similar chakra always reinforced each other, and if the same thing happened to two bijuu…

"…Minato! Don't space out!" he heard Kushina snap in front of him, "As I was saying, the imitator is the complete opposite of the Furball. He was pretty friendly and cooperative, really. It was surprising!" "…and then what happened?" Minato asked with a raised eyebrow. The only cooperative demon he heard of (and saw) was the Hachibi of Killer Bee… and why would a Kyuubi imitator be _friendly_?

"Then he managed to calm down a little the one in my seal. He was really angry about some demon that copied his own chakra, but after Kurama's whole speech of friendliness and sunshine the Furball became quiet…" "Kurama?" Really, Minato was starting to believe he was in some wild dream.

"Ah, right… Kurama is the other Kyuubi. And, uh… he volunteered to help 'Kashi-kun with his new chakra reserves, isn't that great?" Kushina was almost dancing in excitement about the idea.

Minato gaped again.

* * *

_That evening, after some more training_

"Aunt! Uncle! I'm home!" Obito announced the moment he stepped inside the building (in which he lived since his parents died years ago). His uncle replied with the trademark Uchiha Grunt, while his aunt smiled slightly and greeted him.

Obito didn't expect to be that happy when he saw that Kakashi was fine, really: and the Uchiha managed to have an almost _conversation_ with him! It was still one-sided, but Bakakashi wasn't all arrogant and didn't even nominate the rules! Whatever that strange poison did to him, it took off the stick from his ass!

Kakashi sometimes looked like he wasn't listening at all, but it was an improvement!

"Obito!" his uncle called from the kitchen "help your aunt with the food! Now!" The boy scowled, but went there all the same. He started chopping some vegetables (ugh) and tried to remember what Minato-sensei once told them about don't snap at the superiors…

_"__And remember: to make a good potatoes' soufflé, you need… good potatoes". _

Obito shook his head: where did that come from?

* * *

**A/N: ahaha, good potatoes. ;)**

**I took it from a video on youtube (it's in Italian "Lo svarione degli anelli"). This chapter took bit, but it isn't too bad, right?**

**Beware of the Kitsune's rage!**

**-Shiiroi Kitsune21**


	8. Chapter 7: Chakra control

**Heeeello! Sorry I'm late, but there was a cute little black cat trapped on a tree… I wanted to save him, but before I needed to learn how to climb… ups. ;)**

***cough* thanks for the reviews! **

**Answering Callian31: OOoops. My mistake, sorry. I didn't remember that… ugh. They'll never appear in this story anymore… thanks for saying it…**

**Answering TegzTsinelas: I'm glad you like this story! ;D Kurama's arrogance is funny to write: the only thing you need to keep in mind is 'what would I say if I was an annoying bastard trapped in a seal and this happened to me?' eheheh ;3 For the butt kicking action we'll have to wait until the Hokage clears Kakashi for active duty, but there will be a spar! Try to guess who vs who ;)**

* * *

**Chapter 7: Chakra control **

Hiruzen didn't know what to do. Kushina confirmed that Kakashi's demon (Kurama?) was friendly and helpful, but the Hokage couldn't assign yet the little chuunin to Minato: Rin and Obito didn't have the clearance to know about the bijuu, even if they deserved to know.

He couldn't even tell Kushina to help him: she couldn't control the Kyuubi's chakra and it could try to break free again if it was near Kurama's similar chakra. There weren't other Jinchuurikis in Konoha and the ANBU couldn't help in anything.

This left only the bijuu to train Kakashi controlling his own chakra.

The Hokage sighed again. He would assign an ANBU squad to stay near and check that Kakashi was OK.

* * *

Kakashi woke up sweating. His right hand trembled a little and he didn't know what caused that nightmare. He stuck a lightning fist inside Rin's chest and he remembered _every single detail_. Usually, nightmares weren't this clear.

_'__Kurama? What was it?' _he asked **"That was something that Kami showed me. Pretty interesting, uh?" **_'why is it in first person? Who will be Rin's killer?!' _Kakashi was getting too emotional for his liking about the future. Kurama confirmed that it'll lead to the world's end: nothing to worry about and definitely something that is necessary to keep secret! It wasn't like it involved every single living being in the whole shinobi world, noooo…

**"…****Kit, I can read your thoughts" **Kurama deadpanned **"and I have no idea about why it's in first person, thus I know nothing about the killer". **He couldn't say 'It's you the one who will kill Rin. You know, Isobu (the Sanbi) was sealed in her to destroy Konoha and she jumped right in front of your attack – which you will create in the years before Obito's death – to commit suicide'. Kakashi would go in _hysterics_.

The chuunin accepted the answer grudgingly and checked the time. It was half past six… _maybe he could sleep a little more_? Kakashi frowned: where did that thought come from? He usually got up at this time to go training. He shrugged that off and was about to have breakfast when he saw a note on his dresser near the bed.

He picked it up after he finished checking for traps (who knew if someone broke in and placed one?) and looked at it. It had the Hokage's emblem and there was a seal that vanished when Kakashi put some of his blood on it. The chuunin read it; it said that the Training Ground 46 was free, so he could gain control over Kurama's chakra; until he did, he wouldn't go on missions with Team Minato.

'_…__better start immediately'._

* * *

**"****OK, little Kit" **Kurama announced in Kakashi's head **"Your first step to control my chakra is to feel it and let it flow in your coils. Got it?" **the chuunin nodded and sat near a tree in a meditation pose. He closed his eyes and focused on his normal white chakra: it felt like a soothing stream and Kakashi followed it 'uphill' to the chakra core.

He searched deeper and found Kurama's immense reserves: they looked like a huge red waterfall that mixed with the smaller white river, blocked only by a frail-looking barrier. Kakashi reached the point where the two water-like chakras converged and touched it.

He tensed as the red chakra surged inside his coils and struggled to flow deeper, rushing over the white one and releasing a limitless burning power. A definitely smaller version of Kurama joined him from behind and smirked. **"You should have expected it, Kit: tapping on my chakra for the first time is pretty painful". **"T-thanks for the warning, really…" Kakashi deadpanned, trying to keep focus on the chakra flow.

Kurama kept observing how the little Hatake was doing from the side. He didn't think the Kit could take that much chakra without fainting or giving up control: and he wasn't even completely adapted to Kurama! It must be something special about the Hatakes: a bloodline, maybe? The demon should have paid more attention to that clan when they were still alive…

While Kurama was trying to remember what was so special about the white chakra, Kakashi was finally feeling something different from burning pain: it was like that whatever damage the first surge of red chakra did was being repaired…

* * *

Owl, Hound, Cat and Boar were tense. The Hokage assigned them the super-secret task of guarding the Jinchuuriki while he trained… with the demon. They remained stunned for a moment while thinking 'Are we sure it's a good idea?' before nodding and hiding in the Training Ground 46.

And now the little boy was completely engulfed in an orange flame of chakra that continued to flicker every now and then. Hound was ready with some chakra-suppressants in his hands, but he signaled the other to wait until they confirmed what the chakra was doing. After some minutes, the chakra dimmed and the boy opened his eyes.

He looked surprised for a second and then he glanced right at where the ANBUs hid. Boar was almost frozen when the boy's gaze settled on him with deep red eyes.

* * *

_'__Kurama, what is happening?' _Kakashi asked mentally. He felt all of his senses increased: his sight sharpened, his hearing picked up four other heartbeats (how cool was that?), his smell and his touch improved and he could sense the chakras of any living being in a wider radius.

Kurama chuckled. **"I directed my chakra in a way that increased your senses exponentially. I call it 'Demon Eyes' because the irises become as red as mine and it's different from the Bijuu mode". **_'What is it?' _The Kyuubi shrugged **"You aren't ready for my chakra cloak: we can't skip phases, unless you want to combust from chakra overload". **Kakashi remained silent.

**"****In the 'Demon Eyes' mode your strength is increased both physically and spiritually, thus all of your attacks and jutsus will be more powerful and deadly" **Kurama explained **"but you need to adapt to larger chakra reserves before fighting with this. Do some chakra control exercises, I'll tell you how you're doing".**

Kakashi nodded and started climbing a tree while checking constantly his chakra levels. He managed to run three meters on the bark, when he was suddenly blasted off the plant. He landed on all fours and saw his foot's stamp right there.

**"****You'll have to apply less chakra, 'Kashi-chan" **Kurama chirped in a sing-song voice.

Kakashi's eyebrow twitched (now he had to relearn chakra control!) and began running on the tree again.

* * *

_Meanwhile…_

"Minato-sensei, why doesn't Bakakashi train with us if he's dismissed from the hospital?" Obito asked in an annoyed tone. The blonde chuckled uncomfortably "The poison affected his chakra, so he has to do some therapy to use it again…" he kind-of lied. Kakashi had to adapt to his new chakra reserves (at least Kushina said so), but he couldn't do it with his other teammates there.

Rin frowned but didn't say anything. Now that their silver-haired teammate wasn't with them, Minato-sensei decided to improve their stealth (with really sad results, in her opinion), chakra control and endurance. The kunoichi had very good control but pathetic reserves, while the Uchiha had above average stamina but wasted a lot of his chakra while performing jutsus. They obviously weren't ready to fight tough enemies.

Obito huffed, but remained silent. Minato told them to warm up with some exercises and to repeat some kata while he watched the two genins. Rin uncomfortably thought that her sensei felt guilty of being too far to stop the unknown shinobi before he poisoned Kakashi.

* * *

"MY ETERNAL RIVAL NEEDS MY HELP!"

Ebisu and Genma looked at each other. "How does he know it?" Ebisu whispered. The other shrugged "He seems to have a Kakashi-sensor or something…"

"I'LL FIND HIM AND I WILL HELP HIM OVERCOME THE WINTER IN HIS LIFE BEFORE HIS FLAMES OF YOUTH DIE FOREVER! OTHERWISE, I'LL RUN A HUNDRED LAPS AROUND THE WHOLE VILLAGE! YOSH!" With his new goal, Maito Gai ran in a random direction to find his eternal rival.

Jiyo-sensei sighed and face-palmed. It was impossible to teach him stealth, secrecy and patience… _expecially_ when he had these sudden outbursts of 'youth'. The sensei _did_ hear that something happened to the little Hatake, but no one specified what. He only got the warning to 'look out for enemy shinobis that might roam freely in the village targeting the little kids'.

On his left, Ebisu sighed "Can we continue our training?"

* * *

Kakashi finally gained chakra control in the 'Demon Eyes' mode. It was midday and he trained nearly nonstop for five hours and a half.

He still didn't feel as tired as he should and his muscles were only a little sore. **"It's because you're using my chakra, Kit" **Kurama answered **"plus, it repaired all the damages you got. You tapped slightly on your own chakra reserves, so it's obvious you don't feel tired".**

Kakashi was about to search a small river to practice water-walking, when he felt a bright chakra heading straight towards him really fast. He face-palmed when he recognized it was Gai.

"MY ETERNAL RIVAL!"

Kurama snickered at his host's groan. It looked like Gai never changed: always ready to join his rival, every time he needed it and whether the latter wanted it or not. And he already wore that disturbing green spandex, too.

Kakashi was going to hide when Kurama proposed **"Why don't you spar with him? You only have to control your strength and, if I feel you're going to maim him, I'll decrease my chakra level". **Thus the little chuunin waited for his self-proclaimed rival to arrive.

"I'LL CHALLENGE YOU, MY HIP AND COOL RIVAL!" Gai dramatically shouted while pointing at Kakashi "WE'LL SPAR WITH ALL OUR YOUTHFULNESS UNTIL ONE OF US WINS! AND IF I FAIL…" "Can we just start?" the 'hip and cool' Kakashi prepared himself and assumed a taijutsu stance.

Gai blinked and grinned widely. His eternal rival finally accepted his youthful challenge!

They charged at each other with their right fist raised and started fighting.

* * *

Hound had to admit that the Jinchuuriki and his loud friend were definitely above average. The green boy's taijutsu was at low chuunin level and his stamina seemed endless. The little Hatake gained limitless chakra reserves and his chakra control allowed him to never waste any; he could easily keep up with the other and he had the advantage of knowing ninjutsus.

"Konoha Sempou!" the loud boy shouted and kicked the Hatake. The latter saw that coming and moved out of its way, jumping up and throwing some shurikens. He started forming hand signs and the ninja stars multiplied, all heading towards the other kid.

Gai dodged to the left and ran up on the nearest tree with chakra-infused steps, resembling a blur of green. The Jinchuuriki blocked the "Dynamic Entry!" that almost hit him in the chest while he was in mid-air. He countered with a punch and, when it was deflected, he pushed himself away and landed on the bark of another tree.

They looked at each other for a second before jumping forward with two bursts of chakra, kunais in hand. The two boys were two blurs of speed that sparkled when they encountered.

In the Training Ground 46, however, there weren't only four people who watched the spar.

The fifth person felt waves of bijuu-like chakra coming from the little Hatake. He smirked: his Kage needed to know about this new Jinchuuriki immediately.

* * *

**A/N: Buhahahaha! Evil Spy in action! ;D **

**Kakashi didn't feel him because he was focused on Gai and he didn't stretch his improved senses to search for threats. And I don't remember who was on Gai's genin team, thus I placed Ebisu and Genma. If it's wrong… oh well. **

**And of course someone managed to infiltrate Konoha: otherwise, how would the rumors spread quickly in the shinobi world? ;)**

**Beware of the Kitsune's rage!**

**-Shiiroi Kitsune21**


	9. Chapter 8: Mission for Team Minato!

**Some kickass action ahead! I had to do a little time skip (three or four days), otherwise it would have been too slow and repetitive (all the other worry, Kakashi trains, Hiruzen is too old, Danzo plots, ecc.).**

**Answering Nyodrite: I'm glad that I got Gai's teammates right! For Kakashi, though, I guess his 'Gai wants to find me' sense will be more dependent on Kurama's sensing abilities… but maybe he'll develop a strange feeling when Gai is in trouble, who knows? ;P About the whole 'Kit' thing… I just thought that Kurama would start calling him something other than a mockingly 'Kashi-chan'… plus, this way he always reminds himself of his goal to save the original 'Kit'. I think. ;) **

**Answering Prescripto13: thanks for the praises! :D I'm glad you liked the chakra's representation and Teacher Kurama! …but I don't know about his teaching style. I just wrote what I thought a Good!Kurama would say when coaching little Kakashi in his training… **

**Answering Callian31: you'll see, you'll see… ;)**

**Answering cor tenebris: I'm glad you like this! I'm definitely keeping up with the story, don't worry! :D**

**EDIT: THANKS TO LUPANARI THAT SIGNALLED MY ERROR! I SWITCHED GENMA AND RAIDO... UGH. THANK YOU! :)**

* * *

**Chapter 8: Mission for Team Minato! **

_Some days later_

The Hokage summoned the whole Team Minato to clear them for active duty. The two genins were happy that their teammate was fine and they could do on missions; Kakashi was confident in his abilities and new chakra control and Minato's worry eased a little.

The whole truth, however, was that Konoha needed other ninjas and they couldn't let the Yellow Flash remain too much off duty: could the Hogake convince him to leave his students when one of them had a _bijuu _sealed in him (even if he was friendly)?

"I'll assign you a C-ranked co-op mission" the Sandaime began "you'll have to bring some supplies to the second line of defense on our border with Kumo" he pointed a line on the map in front of him "you'll start travelling two hours from now and the journey to your destination will take four days at low chuunin speed".

He looked at Team 7's sensei "Minato, when the supplies are given, you'll reach the first line and fight there until other reinforcements arrive" the blonde frowned, but nodded all the same. The Sandaime was satisfied with that and looked at Team 3's sensei "Fuuyuki, after Minato leaves, you'll be in charge of both Teams and you have to return to Konoha. If you encounter any enemy, avoid confrontation when it's possible. All clear?" The two teams nodded and said "Hai" at once.

Kakashi looked at Fuuyuki's Squad, in which there were his classmates Kurenai, Asuma and Raido. He remembered that the girl was proficient at performing genjutsus, the Sarutobi was pretty skilled in melee attacks and the last had good swordsmanship. With Fuuyuki's medical knowledge and Suiton jutsus, they were a balanced team.

They all left the Hokage's office and headed to their homes to pack their equipment and food for eight days of travel.

* * *

_Two hours later_

Kakashi sighed "Sensei, Obito is going to be late _again_". Minato chuckled sheepishly when Fuuyuki raised an eyebrow at him. She couldn't believe that the Hokage decided to charge _her _with six little children for four days… the youngest was _ten_ years old! The kunoichi was skilled, yes, but she couldn't protect all the kids if a wayward enemy decided to drop by!

Fuuyuki could only hope that the little ninjas had a good head on their shoulders and they could handle at least a low-ranked ninja without dying…

The little Hatake suddenly volunteered to bring here his other teammate (Uchiha Obito, if Fuuyuki wasn't wrong) before they would be forced to go on this mission without him. And here the jonin-sensei hoped the kids had some brain…

* * *

_Meanwhile, in Kumogakure_

"Raikage-sama, our spy reported just now" Mabui, the Raikage's assistant, announced. The Sandaime Raikage motioned her to continue. "He wrote that Konoha's going to bring supplies to their defense lines in this period, they're switching some shinobis on the front line and… uh…" She gulped "…most probably Konoha has a new Jinchuuriki". The Raikage broke his desk with a "WHAT?!"

Mabui wasn't really used to the Sandaime Raikage antics and she squeaked in fright. "WHO IS THE JINCHUURIKI AND WHAT BIJUU IS SEALED?" the man shouted angrily. Now Konoha had another weapon! Weren't its legendary ninjas enough to fight against?

"I-It seems… that the Jinchuuriki is… the last Hatake. But we didn't discover which demon is in him" she whispered, fully expecting an outburst.

The Raikage stared. The _White Fang's brat_? Wasn't he, what, ten or something years old? _Konoha _sealed a_ bijuu in him?_ Weren't the tree huggers known to be all flowers, sunshine and cuddles? And what demon did they found? The Hachibi and the Nibi were in Kumo and the others were distributed in the Shinobi World from the Shodaime Hokage's era… how was it possible that there was a tenth bijuu?

"SUMMON THE COUNCILORS!" The Raikage ordered while breaking his window behind him "TELL THEM IT'S IMPORTAAAAAAANT!" He jumped through the shattered glass in a dramatic shower of shards.

Mabui stared. A arrived and looked down the broken window. They both sighed. "I'll tell someone to repair the desk and the glass…" she muttered, walking away. It was the _third_ time this week!

* * *

The Teams 7 and 3 didn't encounter any enemy shinobi and reached quickly the second line on their border with Kumo. The worst injury they got was a bruise because Obito fell off a tree branch and slammed his face against the one in front of him.

Minato didn't bring up the whole Jinchuuriki ordeal, Rin and Obito were just happy to have their teammate back (even more when Kakashi lost most of his arrogance), Team 3 asked him what happened and Fuuyuki simply observed the kids.

"Minato-san!" one of the chuunin said in awe "You're here!" he then added hopefully. Some other ninja started smiling and whispered to themselves about how they were lucky that Minato was by their side. The blonde nodded in greeting and the Commander of the second line welcomed him and the two teams. All of them gave the supplies to the shinobis while Fuuyuki healed the injured that didn't receive enough medical attention.

The Yellow Flash very clearly didn't want to separate from his students yet. But orders were orders and, once the goodbyes were said, Minato departed for the front lines.

* * *

When he arrived there, he smelled a heavy scent of blood. He was greeted warmly by the survivors and he heard what happened from the Commander, a certain Hoshi of the Hyuuga clan.

"Three days ago, Kumo decided to double its efforts to break the borders" he began, his surprise about the fact plainly displayed on his face (it seemed that even a Hyuuga could lose some of his emotionless façade after weeks of fightings). "They attacked with fifty other shinobis on these places" Hoshi pointed at said locations on the wet map "There were mainly Raiton, Suiton and Kenjutsu users and at the end of the first skirmish we lost five shinobis, while three are now unable to fight for the time being. On our side there are still sixteen jonins and fourteen chuunins" then he smirked slightly "we confirmed that Kumo lost fifteen ninjas and many were injured".

Minato nodded. The situation was a little better than he thought, but that sudden attack was worrying: why did they do that? It was pretty unusual for Kumo to send a lot of shinobis towards the front line: plus, with both Raiton and Suiton users the chances of friendly fire were high… it must have been difficult counting the enemies if the battlefield was a complete mess.

"With you here, Minato-san, I'm sure we'll send them back to Kumo!" Hoshi enthusiastically said "OK, ladies and gentlemen! Katon and Fuuton users ready to toast some enemies, melee experts in the front line, weapon specialists in the middle to offer assistance and medics in the backline to heal the injured! Everybody in position!" there were murmurs of agreement and all took their spots.

"Minato-san, we'll need you in the front line as well!" Hoshi added. All were dead still for a second, waiting for the order to begin their offensive.

"Attack!"

* * *

The frontline was exactly as Minato remembered: chaotic, with the stench of blood in the air and corpses everywhere. He kept throwing his Hiraishin kunais and teleporting behind the enemies, slitting their throats with deadly swiftness.

Someone was building his chakra on his right "Suiton: Tidal Wave no jutsu!" Instantly a huge water wave headed towards him. Minato dodged with a Kawarimi and threw two shurikens towards the enemy's head and throat.

"Katon: Supreme Fireball no jutsu!" "Fuuton: Tornado no jutsu!" a combo attack was making its way in the battlefield from behind Minato. Some shinobis were hit by the blast and screamed in agony. Minato grimaced while quickly moving out of the jutsu's range: now they had to avoid friendly fire as well! Because it wasn't enough with thirty-something Kumo ninjas…

"Kaiten!" Hoshi shouted and started spinning, deflecting the barrage of weapons from him and other two shinobis, who threw kunais with explosive tags. The chaos was unbelievable: jutsus and weapons ere thrown like candies The Kumo troops were already frightened by the legendary Yellow Flash's presence and the confusion in the battlefield wasn't helping in the slightest.

Minato took down other three chuunins when Kumo's Commander ordered to retreat. The shinobi followed as soon as they could, while the Konoha shinobi cheered for their victory and mourned their dead friends. They started counting the losses…

"There's one alive!" a black-haired medic nin announced from the middle of the battlefield. Everyone gathered around her to see a Kumo jonin with a nasty burn on his abdomen and a kunai in the knee. He had blonde hair and dark skin.

He opened slightly his eyes and they widened when he saw he has been captured by the Konoha forces. Then he looked at the Yellow Flash and smirked to himself: their plan to deviate the tree hugger's attention from the Jinchuuriki to the battlefield was working. Kumo already managed to send a squad of jonins behind Konoha's frontline with the first attack, and now other three chuunins sneaked through.

The Jinchuuriki was already in their hands.

* * *

**"****Kit, there's someone behind us" **Kakashi looked around and stretched his senses: all of his teammates didn't feel the four unknown shinobis two hundred of meters behind them. Obviously, the little chuunin warned the brown-haired leader: "Fuuyuki-san, I think someone is following us".

She looked a little startled (how could a chuunin sense enemies further than a jonin?), then she nodded, warned the other genins and checked behind her every few times to see if the Hatake was right. And he _was._

"Raiton: Lightning Dragon no jutsu!" "Suiton: Great Explosion!" the combo attack sliced through the trees and towards the two teams. Kakashi activated the 'Demon Eyes' mode and threw his teammates out of its way while Fuuyuki started doing hand signs.

The chuunin took his tanto when the kunoichi yelled "Fuuton: Great Breakthrough!" and a strong wind stripped the bark from the trees and almost knocked the enemy shinobis. However, they crouched and stuck their feet on the branches; when the wind subdued, they started throwing kunais with exploding tags. This was definitely _not_ Fuuyuki's day.

_'__Tiger, Hare, Boar, Dog' _Kakashi slammed his hands to the ground and shouted "Doton: Earth Wall!" Several kunais were blocked by the wall, but the explosion of the tags destroyed it and knocked back the Jinchuuriki and Obito. Fuuyuki was deflecting most of the weapons, but the kids were all by themselves. Two Kumo jonins engaged her in a brief hand-to-hand combat before taking their swords and keeping her busy.

The other two headed towards the kids with sick grins on their faces. 'Genjutsu: Demonic Illusion!' Kurenai thought, casting a jutsu on the approaching ninjas; unfortunately they released it almost immediately. Asuma took his chakra blades and assumed a fighting stance while Raido gripped tightly his sword (they weren't stupid: what genin would charge head-on two jonins?). Obito was still stunned by the explosion, Rin took a kunai and Kakashi channeled his mixed chakra in the tanto.

"Raiton: Lightining Bolt!" one of the ninja shouted and a ball of lightning headed towards the kids. **"Kit, use my chakra to redirect it!" **Kurama ordered. Kakashi applied more of the demon's chakra in the blade and, when the ball was near enough (he used his increased reflexes, of course), he swung the tanto from right to left. (Imagine baseball. That.)

While everyone was looking to the left (all were surprised that Kakashi redirected it with the tanto), from the right the other shinobi yelled "Fuuton: Divine Wind!"

A whirlwind knocked all the children towards the trees: Rin, Kurenai, Asuma and Raido slammed their back on the plants, while Kakashi and Obito flew over the branches.

The wind's force threw them over the cliff different meters forward. They looked down at the river under them and screamed in fright. Were they going to die?

_SPLASH! _

The two ninjas fell in the water below.

* * *

**A/N: kickass action! :D**

**I still failed at writing the battle scenes… and I wanted them to split because of an ambush. The second line of defense didn't see the jonins because they were really skilled and sneaky. But they probably took the chuunins! It's something, right? **

**The Kumo jonin caught isn't Darui. It isn't even Killer Bee nor A. It's a random OC that I decided to capture. And Fuuyuki is OC as well: I don't know who was Kurenai, Asuma and Genma's sensei or which team they were, so I decided for Team 3. **

**Minato is suspecting something's off with the sudden attack: the Raikage decided to distract the Konoha shinobi and infiltrate some other ninjas to kill/take the Jinchuuriki. You saw what mess the battlefield is with Jutsus flying around, ne? ;)**

**Beware of the Kitsune's rage!**

**-Shiiroi Kitsune21 **


	10. Chapter 9: What did you do?

**Gomen! I'm late again but you see, my fluffy little kitty Inspiration got lost on the road of life and caught a cold, so I had to warm her up… eh. **

**Answering TegzTsinelas: I lacked inspiration :( I wanted to update almost daily and instead my brain blocked. Plus, I was busy on the first of January. The chapters I'm doing still don't convince me, but oh well… Happy new year to you too! ;)**

**Thanks to Prescripto13, Yungsun and buterflypuss too for their reviews! Plus, Lupanari pointed out an error in the last chapter and I corrected it (I mean, I replaced the chapter with the mistake fixed. I hope it's better now) ;) **

**Sometimes I forget to write I don't own Naruto. But I think it's pretty obvious I don't.**

* * *

**Chapter 9: What did you do? **

Kakashi didn't exactly consider himself the luckiest person in the world. But getting thrown off a damn cliff in a river with Obito was just too much.

The current was mercilessly rushing over the two boys, basically throwing them around like rag dolls in its fast flow. Every time they tried to breathe, their lungs were filled with water.

Obito was failing his arms in panic, trying to yell but instead worsening his situation. Kakashi, on the other hand, managed to stand wobbly over the water (he never tried water walking on raging rivers!) and tried to grab Obito's hand. The current always dragged the Uchiha out of Kakashi's reach and further from their teammates.

The Hatake considered abandoning the other boy, but Kurama furiously ordered him to keep trying to save him and a distant corner of his mind felt relieved that Kakashi was following the fox's command. The water's rushing became louder and he saw, with an increasing amount of dread, a really high waterfall.

**"****Kit! Leave me control!" **Kurama snarled and Kakashi quickly retreated in his mindscrape. The demon wasn't really sure the boy's body could hold too much of his chakra, but he didn't have much choice. Kurama was too far to climb on the rocks, so he had to continuously focus to maintain his footing on the rushing water. He gathered a lot of chakra around his left arm and hurled it forward, forming a red claw.

Obito was falling (and screaming) when he felt something grab his left hand. It was almost unbearably hot and it slightly burned his skin. He managed to look up (the goggles' usefulness!) and saw something red and _definitely not normal_ grab his had tightly. He screamed again (or tried to – his lungs were still filled with water) when he felt it launching him backwards.

For a moment he thought he saw Bakakashi under him, then he landed painfully on his stomach over a tree branch. He looked downwards and paled when he saw he was _too freaking high_! Obito coughed to expel the water from his lungs and to not panic (he was, like, twenty meters over the ground!).

Something landed beside him and, when he heard a cold "You better not be dead after all this trouble", he immediately knew who saved him (even if he didn't want to admit it).

* * *

The jonins were _persistent_, Fuuyuki had to admit. She knocked out cold the two who kept her busy and she was currently engaging the others with the four kids. The kunoichi was sure that Minato would _slaughter_ her when he discovered two of his students disappeared under her watch.

One of the Kumo jonins charged at her with his sword, determined to kill her. Fuuyuki fought him and kept searching for a possibility to use her chakra scalpels and tear apart his muscles. Much to his disbelief, the kunoichi cut the upper leg and, when he lost focus, she slit his throat.

Fuuyuki looked around searching for the last enemy, but she didn't see anyone other than the genins. The Sandaime ordered her to avoid skirmishes when possible, but did it mean she had to abandon two little kids to fend for themselves against a _jonin_?

"Where are Kakashi-kun and Obito-kun?" the girl with purple marks on her cheeks (Rin, right?) asked worriedly. Her arms were covered in bruises and cuts and she was struggling to just stand up. Kurenai and Asuma (in a little better condition) looked around as well, searching the silver-haired boy and his teammate. Raido was waiting for orders, but Fuuyuki saw his quiet fidgeting, revealing his worry for the missing duo.

She began healing them with the chakra she could spare, but then?

* * *

"SANDAIME-SAMA! MY ETERNAL RIVAL DIDN'T RETURN YET?" Gai asked loudly with tears flowing from his eyes. The Hokage frowned at the green boy. The two teams weren't expected to come back until the next morning, but the genin in front of him was acting like he knew something happened. The Sandaime looked at his teammates, a couple of steps behind the green boy.

The Sandaime raised an eyebrow. Genma gulped when the Professor's look settled on him and stuttered an answer to the unspoken question of 'why is he acting like this?': "Uh… sometimes Gai has his moments… I-I think he has a s-sensor or something… he becomes m-more emotional at random times, like two weeks ago! H-he ran off searching Kakashi!"

Hiruzen himself was worried about the little boy, but he couldn't leave and check on him. He couldn't afford to send another team either.

The Hokage assigned some D-rank missions to the genin squad in front of him and tried to shake off his uneasy feeling.

* * *

_'__Kurama, what did you do?!' _Kakashi yelled mentally. His left arm felt like it was on fire and the angry red of his skin made him shudder. The demon's chakra was trying to heal the damage, but his body kept rejecting it and slowed the process.

**"****I used a chakra claw to save him" **Kurama answered bluntly **"But ****_right now_**** you don't have time to ask me! Didn't you notice that ninja heading towards us?!" **He finished with a growl. If the little Hatake didn't pay attention to his senses it was useless increasing them.

Not a second later, a Kumo jonin appeared and tried to cut him with a sword. Kakashi jumped back and started forming hand signs (the agony of the burnt arm!) when he noticed the other was doing the same.

"Suiton: Tidal Wave no jutsu!" "Raiton: Lighting Strike!"

The water was rushing quickly towards Kakashi who, with a surge of demon's chakra, strengthened the thunderbolt that cut through the wave. The jonin moved out of its way and jumped over it to attack with his sword.

Kakashi somehow managed to land on another branch and dodged the sword's slash with a Kawarimi. He took his tanto (that miraculously was still with him) and started dueling with the Kumo jonin.

* * *

Obito didn't know how Bakakashi saved him, but he wasn't about to have a debt with him when they returned to Konoha. He watched the two shinobis dodging, blocking and slashing with their weapons (the Uchiha still couldn't believe Bakakashi was keeping up with a jonin) and slowly swallowed his fear.

He formed the hand signs for his jutsu. Obito would be damned if he was going to be dead weight ever again!

"Katon: Supreme Fireball no jutsu!"

Obito channeled the chakra he could master in his breath, fueling the fireball and directing it towards the Kumo jonin's back.

Kakashi noted the jutsu first (were his eyes red?) and forced the older ninja to stay still for a moment too long, preventing him from dodging the fire. Both the silver-haired boy and the jonin appeared on other branches. The latter had some burns on his back and his stance wasn't too stable.

The Uchiha didn't even see another Kakashi jumping from a branch and landing a lethal blow on the jonin's neck.

The Hatake he saw first disappeared in a cloud of smoke (when did he do a Bunshin?!) and Obito stared wide-eyed at his teammate (and the corpse at his feet).

He was putting his tanto on his back and his eyes (definitely red and creepy with slitted pupils) were staring unfocused at the corpse, like he was listening to someone Obito didn't see. Only now that Kakashi was still the Uchiha noted the painful-looking burn on his left arm and slightly labored breathing.

"B-Bakakashi!" Obito exclaimed to catch his attention. When the chuunin's gaze settled on him, his eyes turned to their normal black colour (fortunately for the Uchiha) and he raised an eyebrow. Obito tried to clean his orange goggles when he continued "Y-you killed h-him!" He couldn't believe his teammate (ten years old, for Kami's sake!) managed to kill an enemy while Obito still froze in the middle of the battle.

"Of course I did" Kakashi answered in a 'Captain-Obvious' voice "He tried to kill us, we did the same. And…" he seemed to struggle to say the next words "…thank you for helping me with your Katon". He looked away and his right eyebrow twitched in annoyance.

Obito was speechless. What _actually happened_ to his teammate?

"…let's go back to Fuuyuki-san" Kakashi eventually ordered after a moment of awkward silence.

* * *

Fuuyuki resembled a gaping fish for a second before schooling her features in a stunned look.

The two little boys she worried over while healing the other four almost fell off a waterfall, engaged a Kumo jonin… and _won_. A ten-years-old chuunin and a genin who froze in battle. If the little Hatake wasn't staring at her with a 'no-duh' look, Fuuyuki would have thought this was a prank or something.

The kids _did_ have a good head on their shoulders.

Obito wasn't injured but he was dripping wet (how did he manage to perform a Katon was beyond her). Kakashi was slightly drier, but he had some cuts and a strange burn on his left arm. It just _refused_ to heal with her chakra!

Fuuyuki was going to run out of chakra if she tended to his injuries, so she gave him what remained in her medi-kit and decided to walk towards Konoha until evening, eat, rest and tree-hopping the last part of their journey.

* * *

_'__Kurama, why doesn't it heal?' _Kakashi asked during their walk. The demon seemed to think for a moment. **"I may have burned slightly your coils to use the chakra claw" **he finally answered **"right now, my healing chakra is flowing slowly because of that. If I forced it, your hand would either combust or aggravating the burn. I never tried so I don't know." **Kurama felt sincerely curious about the consequences. Kakashi gave the impression of an eyebrow's twitch without moving any facial muscle.

"Uhm… Bakakashi?" Obito questioned hesitantly. The chuunin looked at him. "A-ano… when I almost fell in the waterfall…" he frowned "something red grabbed my hand. What do you think it was?" the Uchiha finished.

Kakashi blinked. And now what he could say? **"You're a genius. They can't question it if you invented a new jutsu. They know there's always something they don't know" **Kurama said, pulling off the mental version of an eye-roll.

"It was a new jutsu I was creating" Kakashi responded with a 'you-didn't-know?' tone "it allows me to extend my chakra and shape it". Seeing the disbelief on everyone's faces, he continued "It isn't finished yet and it burns my hand when I do it" Kakashi waved his left arm a little to empathize his point.

"…I don't know what the poison did to you, but you definitely changed for the better" Obito hesitantly stated. After all, Bakakashi saved his life even if he knew it would hinder him in combat.

Rin giggled and nodded with a warm smile. Team 3's genin raised collectively an eyebrow and wondered how Kakashi was like before he was 'poisoned'.

Fuuyuki smiled slightly. Minato had certainly good students who looked out for each other.

* * *

**A/N: YAY I DID IT! *squeal of delight***

**I finally finished the Kumo ordeal in this mission! The start really sucks, but I think the chapter became better the more I wrote. :D**

**Ask me what you want! In the next chapter I'll answer as I can! **

**Beware of the Kitsune's rage!**

**-Shiiroi Kitsune21**


	11. Chapter 10: Awakening

***squeal* YAY for your reviews! :D**

**Answering Bananarock509: Older Kakashi will awaken, don't worry. ;) **

**Thanks to Bananarock509, Nyodrite, buterflypuss and Prescripto13 for the praises! They make me jump up and down like an idiot from happiness! Towards Chapter 10! :3**

**I don't own Naruto! Otherwise Minato would do time-hopping every time.**

* * *

**Chapter 10: Awakening**

Hiruzen was staring stunned at Fuuyuki's report. Was all of that real?

A skirmish with four _Kumo jonins_, a _waterfall_ and two little kids versus one of the enemies without support. And _no one died_! A team with a jonin, five genins and a young chuunin (with a bijuu inside him, but a chuunin all the same), and there weren't any losses.

_Life was so surprising_.

Fuuyuki handed her report right after the two teams returned in the morning. Most of the injuries were already healed, except for the strange chakra burn on Kakashi's left arm (the boy said it was a new jutsu, but the Sandaime had a feeling it was something about the Kyuubi imitator).

He dismissed them right after giving them their right payment for all the trouble, but ordering Kakashi to stay.

* * *

Thirty-years-old Kakashi didn't know what to think.

He woke in a cold library with Kurama smirking at him. He felt strange and asked what happened. The demon's creepy smile widened and he gleefully _chirped_: **"We travelled back in time and we're inside your younger self! Isn't that great?!"**

…it wasn't. It was _creepy_, but the Hatake didn't point that out.

"And where is him (_me?_) now?" Kakashi felt like there was something he was missing. **"We returned from a mission where we ran into Kumo jonins! All your little friends are OK and definitely not dead!" **Kurama announced and snickered at the Hatake's shocked (and relieved) expression.

**"****You changed a lot during your life, I have to admit" **the demon continued **"You even considered abandoning Obito before I pretty much ordered you to keep trying to save him…" **

"WHAT?!" Kakashi exclaimed in shock. He didn't know if he was more surprised about his younger self thinking about it before doing it or the Kyuubi ordering him to save Obito. Probably it was more the second.

"And during the _entire_ mission I was… unconscious?" the time-traveller asked warily. The demon nodded with a snicker (a _disturbing_ one) and he rested his massive head on his paws. Kakashi was left guessing how much time he lost. He was sure Kurama's presence caused an uproar in the Council (scratch that: it was _utter panic_); the fact that the Sandaime (not dead anymore!) sent his younger self on a mission could only mean…

"How many days passed after we time-travelled?" He asked with a sigh. Kakashi understood that his 'recover' lasted more than he thought.

**"****Fourteen or so days, Hatake" **Kurama happily supplied **"You took your sweet time to return on the land of the living. After I sealed myself in little you, you were nothing more than a chakra bubble" **the demon chuckled evilly and muttered something about a crazy human that wouldn't exist anymore if it wasn't for the Kyuubi's mountain-crushing power.

"Thus I'm a chakra ghost or something like that" Kakashi murmured thoughtfully. It could have been better, but he wasn't exactly complaining. Kurama's jutsu worked and all his loved ones were still alive (sadly, Sakumo wasn't).

Obviously, Kakashi had to ask: "What did you do until now?"

Kurama grinned and started telling what happened: **"I made a deal with your younger self…"**

* * *

Ten-years-old Kakashi was a little baffled by the sudden silence from his demon.

After Fuuyuki-san gave the mission's report (she started writing last night and finished it in the morning), the little chuunin remained in front of the Hokage (fortunately his teammates couldn't ask him more about the 'new jutsu' he used, invite him for lunch or fuss over him because of the injury).

The Sandaime activated some seals (for privacy, maybe?) and asked Kakashi: "What did Kurama do?"

The Hatake answered easily, even if he still wondered why the bijuu wasn't speaking: "Obito was going to fall from the waterfall and the current was too fast. Kurama created a chakra claw to grab him, but the energy burned slightly my coils. The healing is slow, but it's better to not force the recover with chakra".

He was a little disappointed that the medics couldn't do much for the burn. But Kurama's hypothesis about what could happen if he forced his chakra weren't the most appealing to test, so Kakashi didn't complain too much.

And why wasn't that fox saying _something_?

The Sandaime looked thoughtful for a moment before dismissing Kakashi as well.

* * *

The little chuunin headed home as fast as he could to discover what was wrong with Kurama (his silence was a little worrying after the mission) and to avoid the glares some people sent his way.

Kakashi sat on his bed and, realizing he didn't know the exact method to enter in his mindscrape, he started meditating to check if that was the correct way. His thoughts didn't reach the demon anymore and he asked himself why.

* * *

Kurama finished his explanation and his head shot up when he felt another presence.

"What's wrong?" Kakashi asked, looking around.

**"****Chibi you is searching me" **the demon stated and, feeling the imminent question, he added **"He can't hear me if I'm in this part of his mindscrape. Most probably he got worried because I wasn't talking to him" **Kurama shrugged **"He still doesn't know anything about you".**

The demon snickered, thinking about the tantrum that Chibi Kakashi was going to do.

Older Kakashi, on the other hand, was frowning. His presence wasn't explained with Kurama's cover story about the future. The truth would send his Chibi self into a panic attack if some of his (Older) personality merged like the memories. They needed to come up with another story to explain the older's presence.

Sooner or later Chibi Kakashi was going to notice him and his influence, and it would be better if they didn't meet while on a mission or something equally dangerous (assassination attempts were ought to happen if Kumo or Iwa knew anything about his Jinchuuriki status).

Future Kakashi sighed. This was going to be a _troublesome_…

* * *

Meanwhile, the little chuunin was trying to find Kurama's seal.

The mindscrape wasn't as cold as he remembered (he wasn't complaining) and there wasn't any flame near him. He wished something could point him in the right direction and, promptly, some arrow-shaped signs appeared.

Kakashi was following them when he felt _dread_. He frowned: he wasn't _that_ worried for Kurama. The Hatake didn't know what this sensation came from, but he decided to run toward the seal all the same. Maybe this was the bijuu's influence, who knows?

When he saw the massive fox, Kakashi asked flatly: "Kurama, what were you doing?" His red eyes were looking at something near his paws, then he smirked and raised his head **"Come here, Kit. There's something you need to know" **the Kyuubi answered a little too gleefully.

The more Chibi Kakashi neared the demon, the more clearly he saw a figure next to Kurama. It was taller than the chuunin and it looked like a… person. _'How did someone enter here?_' he asked himself warily.

He gaped when he saw _him_. The mysterious person wore a standard Konoha uniform and was obviously a shinobi. But his face (or what could be seen) was the thing that made Chibi Kakashi pause: he wore a navy-blue mask and a Konoha hitai-ate tilted in a way that covered his left eye. He had spiky silver hair as gravity-defying as the chuunin and his right onyx eye was looking strangely at him.

**"****Kakashi" **Kurama announced **"meet Kakashi!"**

* * *

"Obito?" Rin began after a while. They were eating lunch at Ichiraku Ramen and the Uchiha was happily slurping his food, when he heard his teammate and turned his head. "What?" he blinked.

"Why didn't Sandaime-sama dismiss Kakashi-kun?" she asked "I mean… he kept him in his office, but why?" Rin was worried and she suspected there was something the adults were hiding from them. Most probably the 'poison' wasn't even the real cause for Kakashi's sudden change.

If it was for the security breach that allowed an enemy shinobi to enter inside Konoha, then the Hokage wouldn't keep Kakashi in his office. If he was worried for his health, he wouldn't have dismissed their teammate from the ANBU Medical Facility (why not heal him in the ordinary hospital?).

Obito really didn't know how to answer. He thought about the strange things that happened from the day Kakashi arrived later than the Uchiha, but he came up empty-handed. Maybe…

"Well, Bakakashi _did_ kill that Kumo jonin, ne?" Obito carefully said. Listening to (eavesdropping) some of his clansmen while they talked about their prodigies children, he heard the first kill was always the most traumatic.

From the way Kakashi behaved after the kill, Obito didn't know if that was his first or not. But how much younger was the silver-haired chuunin if that wasn't the first? He changed for the better after the 'poisoning' (is there a venom that makes people more normal?), true, but…

"We'll have to ask someone" Rin eventually concluded. Even if nobody answered them, they needed to know what really happened. For all they knew, Kakashi could have an incurable disease and no one had the heart to tell them he would die…

The girl shook her head. That couldn't be. The two genin finished their ramen in silence.

* * *

"WHAT?!" ten-years-old Kakashi shouted after the fact that _there was an older looking him in his mind _finally made its way through his head. He had a double personality?! Was it a trick? Did he lose his sanity already?!

Thirty-years-old Kakashi raised an eyebrow at the plainly displayed emotions on his younger self's face (maybe it was harder for him hiding them in his mind?) and stated: "I'm older you. And the reason I'm here at all is because of _him_". The jonin pointed the laughing Kurama on his left.

**"****That face is priceless!" **the giant fox roared between laughter. Older Kakashi sweat-dropped a little and started explaining his presence here before his younger self went in a panic attack (it was obvious that Kurama wasn't going to do it).

"After Kami showed to Kurama the future…" he began "He brought me from my time to yours… to help saving the world". Older Kakashi sighed and closed his eyes. The jonin (not anymore?) knew that all of this bullshit was rather hard to understand. It was written on his face.

"Uh… younger me" Future Kakashi said, catching the attention of the speechless boy "it's necessary that my presence remains a secret. Not even the Hokage and Minato-sensei should know about me".

Chibi Kakashi kept gaping at his older self.

* * *

**A/N: AND THEY MEET! :D**

**This chapter isn't my best. And it's more a transition one and is shorter than the normal one. But I had to write the requested awakening of Older Kakashi and the first meeting (?) they have.**

**Obito and Rin start to suspect there's something more alarming than they thought. Minato is still on the battlefield. Hiruzen is surprised. Danzo is waiting to throw off Hiruzen. Kurama is amused. **

**And, uh, Older Kakashi is a 'chakra ghost' because he doesn't have his own thirty-years-old body anymore.**

**I'm sure there are some questionable facts inside this chapter, but in the next I'll explain the one you write me. **

**Beware of the Kitsune's rage!**

**-Shiiroi Kitsune21 **


	12. Chapter 11: Planning and training

**Thank you Prescripto13, Ashelly and buterflypuss for reviewing the last chapter! :D**

**My sudden inspiration for this Chapter was brought by my schoolmates! Standing Ovation for them! ;3 **

**Warning! **"Blah blah" **is Older Kakashi talking from inside the other's mind! **

**I don't own Naruto. Not even a bit.**

* * *

**Chapter 11: Planning and training **

Jiraya handed a scroll to his sensei. The Toad Sage spent most of the week to develop a seal that could contain the Kyuubi imitator (he didn't try it yet, and hopefully he won't).

The demon already showed its freedom inside the faulted seal, thus the Sandaime ordered his student to come up with something, in case the demon tried to escape again.

If it didn't, then everyone would happily fight for Konoha somewhere else.

If it did, every shinobi would fight tooth and nail to protect the village.

The Hokage would have involved Minato as well, but the blonde jonin was needed on the north-western border: Kumo was trying harder to break the frontline, sending more ninjas more often.

Hiruzen dismissed Jiraya (who seemed to go towards the hot springs) and analyzed the seal on the scroll while there wasn't any emergency whatsoever.

* * *

"Why can't I say anything about the future?" Younger Kakashi asked annoyed "If we reveal the major events, Sandaime-sama could help us".

Kurama and the Older Kakashi looked at each other and the former raised a non-existing eyebrow: **"Would you believe a ten-years-old kid if he declared he has twenty years of future knowledge and his older self in his head?" **the demon asked mockingly.

"We have proofs! We could end the war –"

"- in a bloodbath" Older Kakashi cut off the younger "At this point of time, only a slaughter would end the war…" his eye unfocused slightly, like he remembered something awful "…causing the other villages to seek revenge".

Kurama snorted in agreement and growled: **"We could accidentally start the Fourth Great Shinobi War, for all we know".**

_That _was something to avoid. _Definitely. _

And Younger Kakashi couldn't tell anything without the other two knowing. Most probably they would stop him the moment he thought about it. He felt unnerved that his older self completely shut down his idea.

Chibi Kakashi wasn't exactly eager to involve more people, but he felt the need to tell someone else (something he didn't feel once in his short life).

He sighed in annoyance.

All the things that happened that month were unbelievable bullshit (and yet there was no way a demon would tell him all of that if it was a lie) and he could feel the nerve-wrecking stress of knowing what was to come (and everything pointed to the end of the world, just _great_!).

Kurama confirmed his nightmares were visions of the future, thus every single death (Obito, Rin, Minato-sensei, Kushina-san and so on) _will_ happen if no one changes history's path.

Why should he work alone if he had the world's destiny in his hands?

* * *

The Sandaime Raikage was not pleased.

_No one_ of the shinobi he sent behind Konoha's lines returned! How was that possible?!

"DAMN IT!" He shouted, shattering his desk with a punch (again). His expression was settled in a scowl and he seemed ready to just destroy everything (he would have if Kumo wasn't under his command and responsibility).

Mabui winced slightly but continued reading the report from the Communication Center: "Raikage-sama, the Fifth and the Sixth Divisions can't afford to send other shinobi toward the border. The Third, Fourth and Seventh are still fighting the Konoha-nins and can't move from their positions without reinforcements…"

The Raikage was even more angry and annoyed. Those damn Konoha shinobi kept causing trouble to _EVERYONE_! How were they still alive after all these years?!

He suddenly stopped himself from hitting the nearest wall. That could work!

He gleefully started writing a very important message, all the while laughing evilly.

* * *

Danzo wanted to shove the little Jinchuuriki in his ROOT program and use the demon's strength to become Hokage and lead Konoha to dominate the world. Absolutely _possible_ and _understandable_.

After hearing the mission's report (because of his ROOT shinobi), the bijuu's 'chakra claw' and the Kumo jonin's death by the chuunin's hand (so young, yet so cold-blooded! Perfect!), Danzo's interest in the last Hatake increased exponentially.

If this was what he could do after only two weeks… the Elder smirked at the thought of a fully-trained Jinchuuriki ready to obey his orders.

The demon's collaboration was unexpected, and Danzo was eager to use it to his own advantage.

He continued thinking about the mysterious shinobi's face when he discovered his plan to destroy Konoha failed miserably, giving them a weapon with the strength of a _bijuu_ (one similar to the Kyuubi, no less!) on a silver plate. If Danzo wasn't a master with controlling his body language, he would have laughed so hard…

The Elder could wait until he saw his moment to step in, then… he would become Hokage!

* * *

Kakashi opened his eyes. He could feel four ninjas outside his apartment.

"They're probably ANBUs" The Future him said "These four feel like Black Ops Shinobi".

The younger tilted his head and, sensing their chakra, he agreed with his new… guest.

Kakashi looked out of the window and noted that his trip in his own mind took more time than he thought. It was a quarter past five in the afternoon.

What was he going to do until evening?

"Practise your ability to suppress chakra. With larger reserves it's harder, but totally worth it" Older Kakashi suggested.

The main problem he had during his shinobi career were his chakra reserves, but the Kyuubi had enough energy for every situation (except for a freaking godness with three eyes, but Kaguya wasn't going to be resurrected this time), thus it was pointless suggesting it.

The ability to suppress all that chakra, however, was going to require some hard work. Sometime in the future, Kakashi could sense his blonde knuckleheaded student from entire miles away without even searching him. He heard that Jiraya gave up on teaching Naruto how to suppress chakra and the latter's method to hide was to completely coat his surroundings with chakra.

Only using other senses it was possible to pinpoint him, but this was definitely counter-productive in stealth missions, when sneakiness was required. It was like putting hundreds of 'I'm here!' signs pointing everywhere: no one knows where you are exactly, but they know you're there all the same.

Younger Kakashi, however, could learn how to suppress the chakra gradually with the Kyuubi's cooperation: plus, he could rely on both Kurama and older him to do it, decreasing the amount of leaking chakra to almost none.

It wasn't like he would survive if someone managed to extract them.

The little chuunin was going to exit when he sensed Gai approaching. He face-palmed and sighed when Older Kakashi chuckled.

"He may seem annoying…" he ignored completely the muttered "_Seem? Are you kidding me?_" "…but Gai is a good rival and friend. He's stubborn enough to never leave your side, strong enough to be a good sparring partner and blunt enough to tell you everything".

Kakashi didn't say anything after that, leaving his apartment (he didn't want him to destroy his stuff with his 'youthful enthusiasm') and waiting for his 'rival' to arrive and challenge him. He didn't need his thirty-years-old self to know that Gai was stubborn. Kakashi almost face-palmed again when he remembered all the times the green genin tried to propose challenges, finding him _everywhere_. Literally _everywhere._

The fact that Gai managed to barge inside his apartment all those times confirmed that the boy was skilled enough to avoid the traps on the door and the windows. Maybe Kakashi had to give him some credit.

"YOUTHFUL ETERNAL RIVAL!"

Kakashi quickly avoided Gai's bone-crushing hug and looked blankly at him when the genin loudly showed his worry for the chuunin with long speeches about youth, winter, rivals and challenges.

_'…__You were right about bluntness' _he thought awkwardly. Kakashi usually escaped (or kicked Gai out of his apartment) before the boy could start with his speeches.

**"****That human will go really far with his Taijutsu" **Kurama spoke up **"he could even harm that should-be-dead ****_man_**** with cursed eyes, mokuton and the Tree's power…" **the demon growled the last part, clearly expressing his hate for the enemy _man_. Kakashi's curiosity skyrocketed and he was going to ask more about that, when his future self interrupted.

"He was right on Death's doorstep after his attack" the older Hatake deadpanned "If it wasn't for the Rokudaime Hokage, he would have died right there". It was clear he didn't want to talk about him. Kurama couldn't blame him, after seeing the corpse when it was crushed under one of Kaguya's attacks. It wasn't like he understood everything about humans' emotions, but he could guess the time-traveler didn't want to talk about Gai or Naruto.

Younger Kakashi didn't know why his future self was reluctant to name the Rokudaime (being inside his head, he could feel it but not know about the reason), but the chuunin wisely decided to not ask. He knew that he couldn't obtain anything if he pushed for information.

Realizing that Gai was still speaking (more like shouting), he quickly proposed his challenge: "Gai, if you manage to find and hit me before eight o'clock, you win. If you don't, I win. Do you accept the challenge?"

Kakashi really wanted to stop his self-proclaimed rival's speech and to train his ability to suppress his chakra: what better way to do both than challenging him?

Gai's eyes widened (was that the real Kakashi? Was he really proposing a challenge?!) and his teeth sparkled when he shouted "I ACCEPT, MY ETERNAL RIVAL! LET'S START IMMEDIATELY! IF I DON'T WIN, I'LL RUN TWO HUNDRED LAPS OF THE TRAINING GROUND 32 ON MY HANDS! YOSH!" Behind him, a sunset appeared dramatically.

**"****I'm still asking myself how he does that" **Kurama deadpanned.

_'__You didn't discover it yet?' _Younger Kakashi thought, surprised.

The older one sighed "Nope. He just does. No one ever understood how".

Kakashi quickly went to hide himself somewhere in the Training Grounds, sensing the four ANBUs following him.

* * *

Hound and his squad collectively raised an eyebrow at the challenge.

It was _good_ that the kids found a way to train together, but the little Jinchuuriki would be harder to follow inside Konoha if he hid somewhere. Plus, the Hokage made clear that he wouldn't accept failure (their objective was endangered and/or the other people discovered the bijuu).

If they lose the Hatake in the crowd, he could be attacked or something (who didn't know about the security breach and the unknown shinobi's disappearance?): the Sandaime ordered to be alert all the time and stop every suspected enemy without being seen by anyone.

Hound felt the Jinchuuriki's chakra lowering and he found it harder to focus on his position, not seeing him from his position behind a building.

Cat seemed to be in a similar situation and decided to Henge in a random shinobi in order to follow their objective. Boar and Owl sneaked behind him from the rooftops while Hound took position in front of Cat, staying over the streets.

* * *

Telling apart the real enemies and the people who simply hated the Hatake was harder than Boar thought.

A lot of civilians and shinobi glared at the boy, who was doing an award-winning effort to ignore the stares and the whispers behind his back.

Were people really _that stupid_? This way, they were antagonizing the chuunin: he was a ten-years-old brat, but he was a shinobi (a _genius_, the _prodigy_ of his generation) as well. If it was useless, upsetting ninjas for something they didn't do wasn't worth the effort.

The people didn't even think about the possibility of the little boy to snap and throw ninja tools. The experienced ninjas, at least, should be able to see the tight control he had over his emotions: that reason was enough to know no one should upset him too much.

It would be a pity if a promising shinobi becomes insane and goes on a killing spree inside the village.

* * *

Rin was training with Sarune Fuuma, medic jonin who agreed to help the little genin to learn medic ninjutsus. After seeing her amazing chakra control, she proposed almost two weeks ago to Minato to let her teach when he was busy and Sarune was free.

Minato accepted with a pround smile and the girl showed to be talented for iryo-ninjutsus.

The brown-haired kunoichi eagerly studied everything about that and focused more than normal genins could on her task.

Currently, however, Rin seemed to lose her concentration repeatedly.

"Stop" Sarune ordered when the girl unfocused again. The genin let her healing chakra fade immediately and looked at the jonin.

"What's the matter? You don't seem focused on healing this fish" the medic asked concerned.

Rin tensed a little, then sighed and mumbled an answer: "It's just that… I'm worried about Kakashi-kun, Sarune-shishou…"

The jonin blinked. She heard (like all the shinobi inside Konoha) that the little Hatake was apparently attacked by an enemy who managed to sneak inside the village. Sarune received the warning to look out for unknown ninjas 'that could target the children'; fortunately, she didn't see any threats and no kids got hurt under her watch.

"I'm sure Kakashi is OK" Sarune stated with all the confidence she could pull off "If he wasn't, the Hokage would have sent him to the Hospital, ne?" she smiled at Rin.

The girl's worry visibly eased and she nodded, resuming her training after Sarune confirmed that the kunoichi would focus.

* * *

**A/N: Hey, this Chapter is longer! :D**

**Sarune is an OC. I don't know when or how Rin started her medical training, so I decided to let her begin before becoming chuunin. If I'm wrong… we can blame her early start to Kakashi's condition ;)**

**If there are other strange facts inside the Chapter… well, ask me! I'll answer in the next or through Private Message! **

**Beware of the Kitsune's rage!**

**-Shiiroi Kitsune21**


	13. Chapter 12: Uchiha trouble

**I'm alive! :D**

**Answering Gearniac: Yep, Orochimaru is still a Konoha shinobi, not a nukenin. But who said he was inside the village? ;)**

**Answering Callian31: Danzo thinks that Kurama is OK with whatever the host does. He's in for the surprise of his life when he discovers that the Kyuubi isn't… ehehe! **

**Answering jleath1234: I could try, but I write no romance. I could do early friendship between Kakashi and Anko, but if you wanted deep love or something, this won't happen. I just suck at romance :(**

**Thanks to Prescripto13, buterflypuss, Tatahasi and beartes too for their reviews and everything! Thank you! :D**

* * *

**Chapter 12: Uchiha trouble **

Kakashi hid somewhere in the Training Ground 42.

**"****Aren't we near ****_that_**** Clan?" **Kurama growled.

Older Kakashi gave the mental version of a nod "Aa. We're near the Uchiha Clan Compound". He paused. "It's better if we stay out of their way. The average Uchihas are pretty paranoid".

Kurama snorted **"Understatement of the ****_millennium_****, Hatake".**

"Hey, there are psycos too. Not only paranoids".

_'__What the hell…?'_ Younger Kakashi was… baffled. He was forced to listen to two 'people' inside his head now, he would never be alone! He could never get bored, right, but he _really_ needed some privacy and silence… and his older self wasn't the best choice to have that.

Maybe Kakashi shouldn't have entered in his mind?

"Didn't you want to meet me?" The man (ghost?) pretended to be hurt, but inwardly he was laughing.

**"****Who does?" **the Kitsune asked with mock surprise **"You read ****_that orange book _****and you're so annoying!" **

Kakashi was extremely curious about his older self (what orange book?). By his speeches, he couldn't tell if he was nuts or not: sometimes the 'man' gave good advice (as expected from himself), other times he was an idiot.

Perhaps he developed double personality? But why?

Extremely traumatic experience? Stress? Refusing therapy? _All three together_?

Before Younger Kakashi went nuts trying to understand what happened to his Future self, his senses picked up a chakra signature different from his four ANBU guards and Gai.

Kurama and (both) Kakashi fell silent for several moments.

"Stupid old-geezers, stupid everyone…"

A _very _annoyed and angry Obito Uchiha muttered, his right hand twitching every few seconds. His eyes were narrowed and he glared at the log in front of him. The boy was completely oblivious of his teammate somewhere over him on a branch.

Said teammate swayed dangerously when an older, bloody and horribly scarred Obito overlapped the younger one.

The control over his (their?) increased reserves almost slipped, and it would have if Kurama didn't expect it.

_'__What- Why- What's happening?!' _Younger Kakashi screamed inwardly.

It already happened last month in the ANBU Medical Facility and some weeks ago, when he went to Obito's house for the mission: he still wasn't used to the sudden metaphorical wall of blinding emotions (most of them brought a pain left buried for too long) that he just slammed into.

At the Uchiha Compound, the buildings had bloodstains and Kakashi saw some corpses on the streets. If it wasn't for Kurama, the chuunin would have screamed bloody murder or something equally eventful.

At the end, Kakashi discovered that, somewhere in the future, the Uchiha Clan was slaughtered. He didn't feel really sorry about it (other than the fact they were important for the village security), and neither did Kurama (the demon looked rather gleeful, actually).

"…I think… our memories… uh, merged?" Older Kakashi's tone was unsure and it was more like a question to the bijuu.

Kurama shrugged **"Your memories partially did. Some people and places can trigger them and make them reappear". **The demon purposefully left unsaid 'because of the Sharingan's photographic memory'. Why should he seek for trouble and freak out Kakashi (other than because it would be fun)?

The chuunin snapped out of his internal conversation to see what Obito was doing there.

He seemed totally focused on beating the innocent log to a pulp with fists and kicks, muttering to himself some things Kakashi never thought Obito would say.

"…fucking elders and fucking speeches… '_you need to do better'_, '_you have to bring honor to the Uchiha clan!_'" the boy mimicked the elders' voices with a scowl, mumbling something about how Kimori-san could stick that honor up his ass.

"'_You mustn't disappoint us again'_, '_you aren't worthy to wear the Uchiha symbol'_". His attacks grew more vicious the more he recalled those sentences. "'_You had to be saved by that scum'_, '_it would have been better if you drowned in that river!_'"

_CRASH!_

The final punch (likely overcharged with chakra) left a deep mark on the log and Obito stared at it angrily.

Kakashi's brain left him somewhere on the last sentence. His happy-go-lucky, crybaby and idiotic teammate… wasn't? The day Obito wasn't happy, it was going to be the end of the world.

"'Scum' my ass" Older Kakashi scowled "I already have very good reasons to hate the Uchiha Clan, and now I have one more".

And _oh_, he was _right_. The Clan never forgot Sakumo's mission and every average adult Uchiha continued to remind him of it every time. Then Kakashi got Obito's Sharingan.

… 'cold-blooded asshole', 'thief', 'should-be-blinded soon-to-be corpse' and 'unworthy piece of scum' were the most popular insults the clansmen threw at him. But Kakashi quickly discovered the Uchiha had a lot of creativity and imagination, too. _Tons of imagination_.

Then, Rin… jumped in front of his Chidori, and the Uchiha Clan added 'Friend-killer'and 'murderous psychopath' to their list of insults. Really, every time some Uchiha spotted him in the crowd or somewhere in Konoha, they immediately started yelling at him for the stupidest reasons. They were too frightened of the Copy-ninja's wrath to face it alone, so they ganged up from two to six people.

When Minato became Hokage the Uchiha Clan had to quiet down, especially after the blonde looked at the Clan Head with the Yondaime Death Glare Of Doom, coupled with the most vicious threats Kakashi ever heard his sensei hiss at anyone. And the boy (fourteen at the time) was _sure_ Minato could carry out every single one of them.

After Minato died, Kakashi was too absorbed in his ANBU duty to be easily spotted: either he was at the Hospital, outside on a mission, in his apartment, at the Memorial Stone, at the graveyard or he was guarding little Naruto.

Fortunately for everyone, no Uchiha ever approached the blonde ray of sunshine under Kakashi's watch (or anyone else, really).

Then the Uchiha Clan was wiped out almost completely by their heir, thirteen-years-old Uchiha Itachi.

And now, before these reasons ever existed (other than Sakumo's mission), Older Kakashi added one more: they wished Obito died in that river and said it to his face. Really, sometimes the Hatake seriously asked himself why the Uchihas had to be stuck-up asses with an arrogance level over 9000. Maybe it was a genetic thing, a dominating trait?

**"****The Uchiha don't have only cursed eyes, but non-existent brains as well" **Kurama almost snarled. He didn't like the Obito kid (he remembered what kind of pain it was to defeat him and what he had done) but, somehow, he reminded him a little of Naruto.

Stupid, dead-last, stubborn and wearing a fake mask of happy-go-lucky attitude. Obito was born in the cursed-eyes Clan, but his personality was almost identical to Naruto's. Sure, the Third Shinobi War and the Uchihas did their part in making him different, but _still._

**"****Would it look out of place if I murder all the Uchiha?!" **Kurama downright roared. Both Kakashis flinched a little at the voice and, even if they were secretly planning the Clan's demise as well, they denied in unison the request/demand. They obtained angry growls in return.

"…Do we have to stay hidden or can we spar with him?" Older Kakashi asked after a little while.

_'__I prefer to stay hidden'._

**"****Same here. We weren't exactly supposed to hear him". **

"It was worth a try. He seems to need someone to spar against".

_'__And attract Gai here? Sparring with Obito would be just begging to be found: I wouldn't be too surprised if Gai suddenly becomes an expert at tracking to find me' _Younger Kakashi sounded very reluctant to follow his future self, not only for this reason.

"_Us_. We're all together in your body, Chibi me".

_'__Joy.' _His sarcasm dripped from that word.

**"****Let's stay here and shut up. We were training to suppress my wonderful reserves, weren't we?"**

Twin affirmative answers resonated in Kakashi's mindscrape.

* * *

The Sandaime Tsuchikage, well… he wasn't sure what he would have found in the Raikage's sudden letter.

_This_ wasn't it.

Initially, it seemed a help request – it looked like some of his Divisions were too busy with the Konoha ninja to move elsewhere. Nothing too suspicious, other than the fact that the _Raikage_, of all people, asked for help. And maybe Kumo's urgency to break the tree huggers' border, as well.

At the end of the letter, Oonoki blinked and read again the last part.

'- If You decide to lend a hand to my troops stationed in the Land of Frost, we'll launch an attack on Hi no Kuni's western and eastern borders, effectively trapping Konoha and its ninjas. We can arrange this the next letters.

Whatever happens when we win the War, I get the chuunin Hatake, preferably alive.'

Then he wrote something about trading routes, dividing Konoha's lands and killing every other enemy ninja, and the Tsuchikage lowered the scroll on his desk.

Why was the Raikage so hell-bent to get the Hatake brat?

It was time to contact his spies: whatever interest Kumo had with the little chuunin, Oonoki was sure it would benefit him and Iwa greatly.

* * *

Orochimaru, returning from his 'recon, spy and sabotage' mission in the Land of Steam, was… politely asking for information to a Kumo jonin. Who happened to be on the wrong side of the border.

And Orochimaru had some truth serum with him, the lucky snake.

What left the jonin's lips, however, wasn't good.

"We were ordered to attack" was obvious. He wouldn't be there if he wasn't ordered to.

"Some ninjas sneaked behind Konoha's front line" was a little upsetting, but everyone complained about the mess on the battlefield. It was impossible to count every enemy.

"The Raikage wanted the Jinchuuriki" was worrying. Why did the Raikage suddenly gained an interest in Konoha's Jinchuuriki? It wasn't like Kushina did anything flashy on mission (not that Orochimaru heard of): but how were these increasing attacks explained?

When Orochimaru asked why, the Kumo jonin answered he didn't know.

The Snake Sannin killed the other ninja on the spot.

"Minato" he said to the jonin behind him "I'll relay this information to Hokage-sama, you remain here until someone else arrives to take your place". He didn't bother with formalities and promptly jumped away.

Was it Orochimaru's imagination, or Minato looked paler?

* * *

Kushina had a foreboding feeling.

She was ordered to a scroll somewhere near Uzu (being one of the last Uzumaki, it was obvious the Hokage would send her) with an Aburame and a Nara: the mission was A-ranked, but they didn't meet any resistance yet.

Sure, everything could go wrong on an A-rank, but Kushina didn't think her gut feeling involved her task. Maybe it was Furball?

Since Kakashi's Kyuubi calmed down a little Kushina's, she tried to have… normal conversations with him. It _did_ annoy both of them, though: the Uzumaki wasn't one to be respectful, formal and quiet. She preferred much more shouting and tell exactly what she thought about something or someone, but she was making an effort.

The Kyuubi, well… he was restraining himself to threaten the loud woman, rephrasing his words in a way to appear less murderous. But it was in his nature to be murderous, evil and irritable, so he had his moments of not-so-much self-control, too.

Kushina shrugged the bad feeling off. It wouldn't be good to stay unfocused on a mission, and she definitely was going down that route if she didn't stop musing over it.

* * *

The Uchihas were angry and pissed.

Obito Uchiha was their black sheep: clumsy, stupid, thick-headed, easily frightened and without the Sharingan. An Uchiha couldn't step so low even if he tried.

And, even if without any ninja skill worth mentioning, he was under _Namikaze Minato_'s wing, the Yellow Flash, Konoha's rising star: Obito was wasted in Team Minato. He was in the same squad as the little Hatake brat, too, who was fated to be like Sakumo and lead Konoha to its downfall.

Why the Sandaime put these two (with a _civilian_ girl, no less!) under Minato's apprenticeship, it was beyond the Uchihas' understanding.

True, it was tradition to place the genius, the dead-last and the girl with highest results on the same team: the Sannin were an example of it and there were a lot of other Konoha squads with the same formation.

It still didn't mean the Uchihas were OK with that.

Yurumo and Daichi were pure-blooded Uchihas, pround of their symbol, skills and powerful eyes. Who was going to get in their way to beat the black sheep a little for dishonoring them?

* * *

Obito was still furiously punching the poor training log.

They knew nothing. They could do nothing. And they most certainly didn't have the right to say anything.

Only because all Uchihas are mighty and geniuses, it didn't mean that Obito had to be like them: pompous asses with a hundred feet long pole up their butts.

At least, Kakashi got rid of it.

Under all those layers of insults, Rules, coldness, arrogance, glares and Kami-knows-what, Obito was sure there was something resembling a heart. Something that a strange poison managed to almost bring on the surface.

Maybe the genin should search some more of that?

…Nah. He would need liter of poison to change his Clan's attitude. Plus, how was he supposed to get it?

"Look, the black sheep is training".

Obito's eyebrow twitched and he stopped punching the log to glare at his clansman. When he looked behind him, however, he quickly discovered there were two Uchihas. He felt dread starting to pool in his stomach.

"Go away" Obito deadpanned through gritted teeth.

Yurumo and Daichi smirked tauntingly.

"I'm already quivering in fear, Daichi!" his companion exclaimed "The sheep is as scary as a cat! Save me!" he said, widely flailing his arms in mock panic.

The tall, spiky-haired man chuckled darkly, taking some steps forward. Obito tried to step backwards.

"You don't have to fear, Yurumo" Daichi looked a little too pleased "We're taking care of him together, don't you think?" He sent a grin that made Obito's insides churn with dread.

He gulped and his face could be mistaken a sheet of paper. Running would be just begging to be beaten, fighting was unfair against the two jonins (because they were, even if they were assholes), talking was out of question and Obito was trapped.

He did select this Training Ground because of its general isolation and position: near enough to the Uchiha Compound to go there without trouble, far enough to be avoided by most people.

Certainly his worst idea ever. How was he going to survive this?

* * *

**A/N: AH! Cliffhanger, buddies! :D**

**I lacked inspiration, but the Chapter is longer to make up for the lateness! **

**Ask me everything you want to ask and I'll clear it/them in the next chapter! ;)**

**Beware of the Kitsune's rage!**

**Shiiroi Kitsune21**


	14. Chapter 13: Uchihas are evil

**Another Chapter! :D**

**Answering beartles: …they share the same organs (creepy…), so I think they'll be affected from drugs and whatever if Kurama doesn't expel that first. If drunk, well… Older Kakashi can hold his tongue. I think :/ I'm sad to say FUTURE GAI IS DEAD! *YOUTHFUL WATERFALL OF TEARS*… but no, I don't think the Uchiha Clan could be exterminated without rising suspects. Pity. **

**Thanks to Prescripto13, buterflypuss and stroopery too for taking their time to review! :D**

* * *

**Chapter 13: Uchihas are evil**

Daichi cracked ominously his knuckles with a sick expression.

Obito was currently cursing his decision to go there to vent his anger. How was it possible that all his ideas, somehow, always came back to bite him in the ass?!

Disregarding logic and common sense, Obito ran for his life screaming bloody murder and how he didn't deserve to die so young, prompting the two Uchihas to run (more like jogging for them) after him like hunters after their prey.

The clansmen, obviously, didn't have too much trouble trapping Obito.

Daichi was blocking his arms from behind while Yurumo raised his fist, no doubt about his intentions of smashing his face.

"Take this, crybaby!"

And Obito would have, but instead of a punch in the face he saw white.

No, wait… _silver_?

"_Go away_" Kakashi freaking Hatake (when did he appear?!) ordered coldly. So coldly he could have turned them into ice cubes.

Daichi gripped Obito tighter and growled: "_Brat_, who do you think we are?!"

"Two assholes who are picking on a genin".

Yurumo's expression darkened and he activated the Sharingan indignantly: "Being a _disgrace_ seems to run in the family, ne, _Hatake_?"

"Oh, but you don't have a family anymore! Ah!" Daichi sneered, his face twisting in an expression that would have made Orochimaru pround.

It didn't get any reaction from the chuunin.

Obito (shocked speechless by Kakashi's intervention) struggled unsuccessfully to get free from Daichi's hold, trying to ignore the forming tears in his eyes.

Yurumo suddenly gasped and stepped backwards.

He turned off his Sharingan and pointed Kakashi: "What are you?!" he exclaimed.

A ten-years-old, chuunin or not, shouldn't have that much chakra (_or Killing Intent, for that matter_)! How was this possible?!

The boy didn't deem the question worth answering and a fraction of second later, with a burst of energy, he kicked Yurumo's head as hard as he could without being too suspicious (or accidentally murdering him (Kurama sulked whole-heartedly)).

_'__Is our chakra that surprising?'_

**"****Hey, I added my very own Killing Intent, too". **

"That asshole didn't see it coming at all, ah!"

Kakashi disappeared again, but Daichi knew better than think it was a retreat. The Uchiha let go of Obito and blocked the incoming whirlwind of taijutsu attacks (why the clearly shorter shinobi did so, it was a mystery to the man).

Daichi had to admit the chuunin Hatake gained his rank fair and square: the chakra levels were higher than he thought, but it didn't intimidate him much. Really, why did Yurumo get hit?

The Uchiha, noticed the strange chakra flow in his opponent, struck him with a kunai in the chest (he was still a jonin versus a chuunin. He just didn't want to be accused of murdering another Konoha shinobi). His eyes widened as he dissolved in a cloud of smoke. _Kage Bunshin?! _

Daichi glared at the two kids some meters in front of him (as did Yurumo, who woke some seconds earlier). They both had two brightly spinning three-tomoe Sharingans and they were _pissed_.

"Now you won't escape, brats!" Yurumo exclaimed, charging at Kakashi and Obito as Daichi did the same on the other side.

Less than a second before the angry Uchihas could hit, the Bunshins dispelled in two twin clouds of smoke.

* * *

**"****BUAHAHAHA! Those faces!" **Kurama roared between laughter.

"They sure took their sweet time to recognize the Bunshins…"

_'__How couldn't they notice them before? They're supposed to be jonins' _Younger Kakashi asked. Really, if he was someone else he would either laugh uncontrollably or face-palm at their… lack of skill.

**"****The first was a special Bunshin, Kit!" **Kurama boomed **"It was a Rokudaime-approved Chakra Clone! It costs more chakra than Shadow Clones, but it's almost impossible tell it apart from the original!" **The demon was clearly very pround of the jutsu.

Older Kakashi mentally panted "And since we couldn't… use demonic chakra… you used mine… damn fox…"

Kurama laughed evilly and Younger Kakashi didn't know whether he should smirk or cringe. Obito decided for him.

"B-Bakakashi! What are you doing here?!" he exclaimed from Kakashi's right. The Uchiha's face was beet-red, most probably from shame (he _did_ have to get saved by his teammate _again_), anger (his own clansmen attacked him!) and Kami-knows-what.

"I saved you" Kakashi bluntly stated.

Obito flushed deeper red "_Why were you there?!_"

**"****Geez, not even a 'thank you'?" **

Kakashi decided to tell the truth about his challenge, just as Gai's chakra barged inside Training Ground 42.

* * *

Minato was left speechless.

_Kumo wanted the Jinchuuriki_. But why _NOW_, of all times?

Even though one of the last pure-blooded Uzumakis and Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, Kushina was (almost) abducted only one time, when she was a genin (or some time near that). It was always Kumo…

_'__Who said they wanted Kushina?'_

Minato froze. Kumo… _Kumo knew_ Kakashi was a Jinchuuriki?

_'__And you left him – and Obito and Rin – with only a jonin. A good jonin, but one nonetheless'._

That realization brought out all Minato's worst fears and, to get away from the other ninjas, he offered to dispose of the corpse somewhere else.

Outwardly, he mechanically went through his movements (he disposed of corpses many times before, this was no different). Inwardly, his thought bounced around uncontrollably, all of them filled with fear and focused on his students.

_'__What if the enemy killed them? Or worse, captured them? What if right __now__ they were torturing them? What if Kumo extracted Kakashi's bijuu? What if the demon was unleashed on the battlefield – or Konoha, knowing about the security breach?!' _

It was difficult stretching his senses to feel wandering nins and trying to stop his creative imagination. His own experience as a shinobi wasn't exactly helping, adding gruesome details to the mental scenarios flashing in his mind's eye.

_'__Calm. Down' _Minato firmly told himself '_Fuuyuki is a jonin. Kakashi is a chuunin and a Jinchuuriki. At least, the Kyuubi imitator will try to keep him alive'. _He breathed deeply.

_'…__what about Obito and Rin? And what if Kakashi died because of the bijuu's extraction?' _Minato's pessimistic part whispered.

The blonde metaphorically squashed it, burned it and buried it deep down some dark corner of his mind.

If he cracked now, he wasn't going to survive until the next dawn.

* * *

Kakashi suddenly tensed.

"OI, Bakakas… mmphf!" Obito was silenced by the chuunin's hand. Really, things were happening too fast for him. He only wanted to vent his anger somewhere isolated, and instead his clansmen tried to beat him and Kakashi saved him.

The Uchiha was still red because of what happened before and he wasn't sure why his teammate helped him. And, even if he would never admit it, Kakashi had better sensory skills (other than everything else shinobi-related): if he tensed, it was better Obito prepared himself.

He seemed off in his own world for two seconds, then he suddenly grabbed Obito's hand (_who definitely didn't squeak_) and ran like hell spawns were hot on their heels.

If Obito could hear what was in Kakashi's head, he would have laughed at the irony.

_'__Gai almost found us!'_

"He already did, trust me and RUN!"

_'__What do you mean 'already'?' _

"Gai always managed to find me, even if I was in ANBU: after some time I developed a sixth sense when he knows where I am" Older Kakashi paused "And it's _TINGLING_! Keep running!"

The little chuunin sped up and (mostly) dragged a screaming Obito with him. But where were they going to go after leaving the Training Ground?

The Uchiha Compound was out of question.

Kakashi's apartment was the first place Gai would go.

Minato and Kushina were out on missions.

Jiraya was probably drunk somewhere in Konoha.

_Rin_, he thought with a jolt. Rin was their last choice and best bet.

"She might be at the Hospital" Older Kakashi said "…and I still hate hospitals".

_'__That's something I didn't get rid of, isn't it?' _the younger sighed mentally. He didn't have much choice but to head either there or to Rin's home, hoping to find her there. He turned around when Obito's panicked screams were getting on his nerves (some seconds after they started running).

"_Obito! Stop screaming_!" Kakashi hissed at his teammate. Luckily for the latter's health, he obeyed and eyed the chuunin with a mix of surprise, fear and anger.

"Where do you think Rin is now?" the younger asked tonelessly. With Gai and two angry Uchiha behind them, it was better not to waste energy and time searching and, as much as he didn't want to admit it, Obito was more likely to know where Rin was.

"Why do YOU ask me?!" Kakashi shot him a look so dark that he could turn off the sun. Obito gulped and immediately answered "N-Now she should be at Sarune's house t-to learn iryo-jutsu!"

**"****I don't remember her".**

"Neither do I".

"We're going there. Do you know where she lives?" Kakashi became a little better dealing with two talking entities in his head and staying aware. Still, his eyebrow twitched when he said those words. It was like admitting he didn't know something his idiotic teammate did.

"Y-yeah, I do!" Obito replied, still unsure about why Kakashi was helping him.

"Lead the way, then. _Fast_!" The chuunin let go of his hand, almost making the boy trip on his own feet.

Obito didn't need more encouragement.

* * *

The moment the Bunshins disappeared and the two Uchihas were ready to go berserk, Boar dropped from his branch and stopped them in their tracks.

The two men straightened and schooled their features, waiting for the ANBU to say whatever he had to. A summon from the Hokage? A mission? Something else entirely? They didn't know.

"Stay away from Hatake-san" he ordered and promptly disappeared, not even waiting for the duo's indignant "WHAT!?" expression (because Uchihas do not shout. They either grunt, stay silent or go on a killing spree. Depends by their mood).

Yurumo and Daichi looked at each other. Why did an ANBU operative guard the little brat?!

They grunted Uchiha style and went to Obito's apartment. If they couldn't teach him a lesson when the Hatake brat was there, they would wait him at home.

It wasn't like there was anyone to stop them.

* * *

Rin was carefully mending a cut when someone knocked urgently the door. Sarune frowned and got up to open it (with shinobi carefulness, of course), interrupting the exercise.

A sweaty Obito and a slightly winded Kakashi weren't the ones Rin expected to see.

"Obito, Kakashi! What are you doing here?" the girl asked from behind her shishou. She really didn't have a clue about what could bring those two _together_, not counting training and missions. Rin quickly inspected them, but didn't find (fortunately) any bad injury.

She _did_ notice, however, Obito's less-than-good-looking knuckles.

"Sarune-san" Kakashi began before the girl could say anything about them "Can we enter? We'll explain why we're here".

_Now_ Rin was shocked. Since when did her unsocial teammate drag Obito (of all people) in another's home without any warning whatsoever? She knew Kakashi was a loner most (if not all) of the time, and this sudden action didn't help much to ease her worry.

The older kunoichi was clearly concerned as well, and she let the duo enter inside her house.

Once the door closed, Rin fretted over her goggle-wearing teammate.

"Obito!" she exclaimed and grabbed his right hand "What did you do _this time_?!" If he didn't take care of himself and Rin was away, she was sure he would forget even how to breathe! Wasn't this why she gave all her support to him, if there was need?

The Uchiha winced when the girl touched his knuckles, his face reddening at the contact (ah, to be in love!). He decided to tell the truth (well, a part).

"I was training!" he said "I may have punched _a little_ too hard… _ouch_… and they got bruised! It's not my fault!" Rin didn't need to know the reason why he punched that hard. Otherwise, who knew what the Uchiha might do to her?

They weren't going to hurt her physically, they weren't that stupid (with Obito was different: they could easily say it wasn't their fault and he tripped on a root, smashing his face on the bark. Who didn't know he was clumsy? Either way, everyone was most likely to believe 'the great Clan Uchiha' than a dead-last).

But the Uchihas were very good at finding 'alternative solutions', and they would without a doubt made her life a living hell for 'standing up with the disgrace of the Uchiha Clan'.

At least, that was what Obito thought. He didn't really want to find out.

Rin flashed him a_ look_ that clearly showed what she thought about his 'a little too hard' punch. After sighing in exasperation, she took some medical supplies from the table near her and started healing the 'bruises'.

"Kakashi-kun" Sarune spoke, gaining the trio's attention "What happened to lead you two here so urgently?"

If Obito could move his hands from Rin's grasp, he would have flailed his arms in the universal sign of 'NO NO NO NO DON'T TELL THEM NO NO NO NO SHIT SHIT SHIT'. His eyes were probably just as expressive, though.

"I didn't notice the Uchihas were this harsh on him in the past. I think we should somehow stop this – Obito has potential" Kurama snorts "but he'll need time to bring it out". 'So much time that he started a bijuu hunt with a criminal organization and declared the Fourth Shinobi War' the demon wanted to add, but that was a little too much for Younger Kakashi.

**"****I hate Uchihas" **the Kyuubi deadpanned when they wanted to know his reply. Both Kakashis thought this was his way to say 'do whatever you want' (it could be also 'let's kill them all', but they couldn't be too sure). They mentally looked at each other (how is this possible?) and decided to tell the two kunoichis about the… less than acceptable behavior of some Uchihas.

* * *

**A/N: It could have gone better or worse. Dunno :/ **

**Most probably I'm going to insert a little time skip in the next chapter. You know, to make Minato and everyone else move, return, go and whatever ninjas do in a war. **

**And yes, Obito's paranoid. Just a little… ;)**

**Like always, write me if you have questions and whatnot! :D**

**Beware of the Kitsune's rage!**

**Shiiroi Kitsune21**


	15. Chapter 14: A real Team

**I returned back from the dead? OMG! :O **

**I discovered that writing poorly attempted one-shots and going on with the other stories is not my best idea. Still, I made this chapter longer! (DUN, DUN, DUN DUUUUUUN!) **

**Look back on Chapter 6, you guys: I changed Obito's parents (who I didn't remember were dead) with uncle and aunt, thus there shouldn't be too much… incoherence between there and here ;)**

**Answering berates: …I'm already thinking "holy duck wherever she comes with things like this?"****, believe it! … Did I get Naruto flu? However, back on track – Kakashi didn't want to encounter Wild Gai because that meant fighting him (the challenge was still on), he wasn't sure he could avoid being hit if sudden memories crushed onto them and, well… Gai was too exuberant? And I'm shuddering at Shukaku's Jinchuuriki!Gai… worse than Orochimaru in a bikini! **

**Answering Guest: the Sannin will make more appearances (did Tsunade already left Konoha? Or was it after the Third Shinobi War?), A and Killer Bee may appear again, Darui and C (who was he again? I have a void)… I'll think about it. It wouldn't be good to forget the other countries, wouldn't it? **

**Thanks Prescripto13 and buterflypuss for your reviews! :D **

**Onto the Chapter! **

* * *

**Chapter 14: A real Team**

"Rin, Sarune-san! I'm OK, really! Stop following me!"

Obito didn't like being babysat like he was still some brat who couldn't look out for himself: he was a _genin_, damn it! Even if he was at the lowest rank, he was still a _ninja_!

Rin rolled her eyes "Not a chance, Obito" she said patiently "Shishou and I _will_ follow you to your home – whether you want it or not". The Uchiha looked ready to argue, so she pinned him with a concerned glare (Minato managed to pull it off on them, why not her?).

"_Obito" _he gulped. That tone meant shit was about to hit the fan!_ "_Don't hide your wounds from me – physical or _anything else_. Understood?"

The boy turned an interesting shade of red and, scratching awkwardly his cheek, he mumbled an affirmative. Better not be on Rin's bad side, he mused wisely.

Sarune laughed inwardly like a madwoman. It was _so obvious_ Obito loved her! She was willing to bet there wasn't anything that could separate them: the boy would never allow being away from her, and her apprentice would search him throughout the whole world if he 'hid his wounds'.

Right before leaving, the medic jonin set some traps and security measures in Obito's apartment – they weren't the best, but they could warn Obito there was an intruder (not like a chakra seal would, but Sarune wasn't a Fuinjutsu user). Whether the walls remained stable or not, it was all to see.

…What? Uchihas _were known_ to be sneaky and powerful; they weren't going down if she set only chuunin-level traps.

Obito admitted he sometimes went to his uncle's house to help a little, but Sarune was almost sure it was more to be near some close relatives (not like being around the Uchiha Clan) and to feel gratefulness for his actions, even just a little.

No one was the wiser of the two angry shadows that left the apartment.

* * *

"MY ETERNAL RIVAL, YOU WON!" Gai exclaimed when he found Kakashi.

It was a quarter past eight and the chuunin was calmly opening his apartment's door when the other boy shouted. He froze and eyed him dully through the latter's speech of youthfulness.

_'__Is there a way to shut him up without maiming him?' _Chibi Kakashi had a really hard time not whining that question. Or not twitching his eyebrow, for that matter.

"… Not really. I usually ignored him".

**"****Either you made 'Ignoring Gai' a ninja art or you have the patience of a saint" **Kurama deadpanned.

"I kind of forgot to label the former as an actual Ninpou…" Older Kakashi gave the mental impression of a sheepish expression, coupled with an eye-smile and scratching his head.

The youngest of the trio didn't know if he was being serious or not. He hoped it was the latter and he snapped out of his thoughts when Gai ran into the sunset, yelling:

"I'LL RUN TWO HUNDRED LAPS OF THE TRAINING GROUND 32 _BEFORE DAWN_! IF I CAN'T, I'LL RUN A HUNDRED _MORE_…!"

His loud voice eventually faded into the distance (and into the neighbors' shouts to shut up) and Kakashi, after a quick shower, fell asleep in his bed.

* * *

Orochimaru entered inside the Sandaime's office at night.

"Your report can wait for tomorrow, Orochimaru" the older man raised his head from the scroll in front of him "You just returned from your mission, you deserve some rest".

The Snake sannin shook his head "Sarutobi-sensei, you need to know this now". The Hokage fell silent and the man continued "Kumo is trying harder to break out frontline because they're targeting our Jinchuuriki".

The Sandaime didn't question how Orochimaru knew it, figuring out he interrogated someone. And who wouldn't be scared enough to tell the truth by his mere presence? The Hokage had faith in his student to discern truths by lies: if the Snake sannin headed straight to his office, it meant he was sure it was the truth.

"Did they mention Kushina-san?"

"No, he didn't. The Kumo jonin said his objective was to capture or kill the Jinchuuriki and, since we have only one, I'm sure the target was Kushina-san" Orochimaru answered, shaking his head once again.

The Sandaime debated whether or not tell his student that Kakashi was a Jinchuuriki too. His genius mind would come in handy, but an S-ranked secret was revealed only on a need-to-know basis. Orochimaru didn't fit that criteria yet: he knew Fuinjutsu, yes, but he didn't have Jiraya or Hiruzen's level and two Fuinjutsu masters were enough for now (Minato was already going to reach their level, implementing his seals' knowledge in more ways than the Hiraishin and distinguish different seals).

"…That's right. You're dismissed, Orochimaru. Rest well" Hiruzen said, nodding and returning to his paperwork.

The Snake sannin bowed and left the room without giving any outwards signs of emotion. He couldn't help but feel something was wrong about this situation. Right now, however, he _really_ needed some rest. Staying awake four days straight in enemy territory was tiring, even for him.

* * *

_Two weeks later_

Reinforcements finally arrived on Kumo's border and Minato, together with thirty or so tired shinobi, was ready to go back to Konoha.

Since he had the almost-confirmed suspicion the Cloud was after Kakashi, the blonde was more jittery than ever: knowing that his students could be attacked without his protection was nerve-wrecking; the fact one of them was _specifically_ sought after when he was deployed elsewhere was a whole new level of torture.

Luckily for Minato, the thirty shinobi split up in five-man squads to speed up the travel and leave weakest trails: if some enemies sneaked behind them already, they didn't want to take any chance to be followed and attacked.

Still, they were four long days for the blonde – four days more to worry for his students, of which he didn't receive any news yet.

It was something he hated whole-heartedly of being on the frontline (among many other things, obviously): they wouldn't get any letter from their close ones unless something really, really important (death and capture for the most part, but there was field promotion, too) happened to them. Konoha couldn't waste ninja to deliver 'pointless' (in the Councilors' opinion) letters on the frontline – only orders and the occasional warning (which, more often than not, arrived a little late to inform them of an attack).

Minato found little comfort in the only-vital-letters-rule: his students weren't dead or captured as far as Konoha knew and, given the facts Kakashi was a Jinchuuriki and the Sandaime was keeping a close eye on him, the blonde was pretty sure his Team was safe.

_'__What if the communications were cut, instead?' _the pessimistic part added from his dark corner _'What if you didn't receive the news because some enemy ambushed the delivers?' _It was hard keeping in check that side of him for two weeks straight, and now it was taking its toll on Minato.

So it was with no small amount of relief that he (along with other four shinobi) walked past Konoha's gates.

Or, like another jonin told him later, he _ran_ past Konoha's gates.

* * *

Minato stretched his senses as much as he could without sending the village in immediate alarm, searching for his students' chakra signatures.

Once he arrived there, the blonde screeched to a halt.

"- and then _SWHOOOOSH_! Did you see that, Rin-chan?!" a _very familiar_ raven-haired boy waved his arms in a poor imitation of a jutsu.

"It was hard not to see your Katon, Obito…"

"It drained a lot of your chakra – in a fight, you can't afford to waste energy like you did"

"I-I knew that!"

"At least you improved the Dragon's Breath…"

Minato stared for more time than necessary and blinked, shocked.

The students he worried over for two weeks were all up and about, happily chatting. Even _Kakashi_ was there.

At the moment, his genins (and one chuunin) were eating dinner at Ichiraku Ramen (Obito and Rin were, Kakashi seemed to have already finished) and they were chatting about their training, like (dare he say it?) a true team.

Obito was literally beaming with pride for his accomplishment (the Dragon's Breath was a little higher than C-ranked, of course he would be!), Rin was giggling cheerfully and Kakashi…

… Minato didn't know if he was happy, annoyed or resigned. After being the boy's sensei since the latter was five, he picked up his subtle body language – and, right there, Kakashi was somewhere in between.

Was it because of the bijuu? But then, which 'emotion' was Kakashi's and which the demon's?

"Minato-sensei!"

The blonde snapped out of his musings at Rin's voice. The girl was enthusiastically waving her hand at him and Minato noticed her clothes were a little dirty and torn (most probably from training, he thought).

He was almost tackled by his raven-haired student, who charged at him with a happy cry of "Sensei!"

After Minato pried Obito's hands from his waist and ordered some ramen, he asked what was bugging at his brain, unable to restrain his curiosity.

"Why are you eating together?"

The trio looked at each other.

"We felt like it?"

"Too tired to cook alone?"

"To surprise you?"

Rin, Obito and Kakashi (in that order) replied at the same time, a little uncertain. They didn't want to say it was because they were safer from the angry Uchihas if they stuck together in a public place. The fact they couldn't go around accusing the Uchiha was an incentive, too. Kami knew what Minato would do to the Clan Head…

The blonde stared, somewhere between amused and annoyed. He luckily shrugged it off with a laugh, thinking his students were reluctant to admit it was for teamwork's sake.

"So… the Dragon's Breath, Obito?"

The boy nodded enthusiastically "Yeah, Sensei! I trained A LOT after our mission!"

Minato chuckled "I didn't know the Uchihas decided to teach you…"

The temperature dropped somewhere below zero at that. Kakashi's expression turned unreadable, Obito's face turned a strange shade of red and Rin clenched her fists. No one said anything to break the awkward silence.

"I did".

The quiet answer came, unexpectantly, from Kakashi.

"It was me who taught Obito the Dragon's Breath" he added, seeing the blonde's face.

Minato had every right to stare at his student like a gaping fish. Because, well… _Kakashi_? _Teaching Obito_? That sounded like a joke. But Kakashi never made jokes, didn't he? The blonde couldn't have missed so much in almost a month!

"He really did" Rin spoke from Minato's left "We started training together almost two weeks ago to… you know…" she fidgeted under her sensei's questioning gaze.

"Teamwork".

The blonde jonin almost spat his ramen when he heard that. Did _Kakashi_ really say it? The same ten-years-old boy who followed the Shinobi Rules like it was his religion? The one who treated his teammates like they were trash? What the hell did Minato miss?

"We have to become stronger together or we'll just endanger our lives like fools – so we decided to train like a real Team" Kakashi seemed oblivious to his sensei's gaping expression.

Minato was shocked, and for good reason. His little, cute, antisocial apprentice finally (_FINALLY!_) understood his teammates' importance and their roles on mission, trained willingly with them (where were the flying pigs?!) went _eating with them_… Hell, Kakashi _taught _Obito a new jutsu!

Which led to the question – where did he learn the Dragon's Breathe? Being a Raiton user, Minato would have noticed if Kakashi took a scroll, a book, _anything_ about Katon.

But he was very, very pleased as well: his students were growing up and the little chuunin matured enough to help his teammates, instead of scoffing at their lack of skill. All in all, Minato was on cloud nine – Kakashi finally accepted Obito and Rin, he didn't push them away and he didn't deny why he was helping them.

His world may be turned upside down, but who said it wouldn't end well?

* * *

Minato couldn't help but think it was unfair – he wasn't there for his Team's 'reunion training' (as they called it later that night) and he missed a lot.

Such as the reason his students decided to train together without him.

He was told that the seven-ninja squad ran into some Kumo jonins (the same that sneaked behind the frontline, Minato realized) and, somehow, managed to survive without heavy injuries.

"If Fuuyuki-san wasn't there" Rin whispered with a frightened expression "We would have surely died – Asuma-kun, Kurenai-chan, Raido and I had the worst injuries, being in the direct crossfire of two of the jonins".

At that, the Yellow Flash couldn't hold back a shudder of fear; legendary or not, he didn't know if he could bear his students' death at such a young age. He made a mental note to thank Fuuyuki and give her a gift – she had lots of skill to fight off two jonins, win, protect four genins _and_ have enough chakra to heal them afterwards.

When Minato heard Kakashi's side of the story (when he and Obito almost fell off a freaking _waterfall_), he felt his heart burst with pride: the little chuunin didn't abandon his teammate and managed to keep up with a jonin (for a ten-years-old it was quite an accomplishment). Obito, meanwhile, showed he could perform a jutsu even under pressure (something the boy always found difficult) and didn't bicker too much with Kakashi. The blonde ruffled both boys' hair, much to their annoyance.

The day after returning inside Konoha, the three young shinobi decided to train together; a combination of Kakashi's willingness, Obito's need to become stronger ("I won't be deadweight ever again!" the boy vowed loudly during their dinner), Rin's involvement 'to made sure they don't push themselves past their limits' and 'to exercise her iryo-ninjutsu' and Sarune's approval.

It helped a lot the three kids: Obito improved his focus, chakra control, stealth and he learned a new jutsu (not always with good results, but he was more than willing to continue); Rin increased a little her stamina, taijutsu skills and reflexes (on which she didn't focus much, as a soon-to-be medic); Kakashi tested his patience and strength control, all the while Sarune watched from the sidelines and gave some tips.

"I still don't understand" the silver-haired boy told him "how can you have this much patience to teach Obito-"

"OI!"

"-and match your strength with ours" Kakashi scratched his head, looking very puzzled about this strange phenomenon. Minato laughed it off, but he wasn't sure they heard his secret over Obito's indignant shouts.

After telling some of their 'adventures' (the blonde raised an eyebrow at the 'reaction-time training' Hatake version – which involved buckets of cold water and some… unknown… substance. Minato wasn't sure he wanted to know why Rin shuddered), each member of Team 7 had to return to their homes.

What could go wrong, now that they were more united than ever?

* * *

**Minato-centric much? :D **

**I hope this Chapter went better than the others – if it is, thank Tremblers for giving me constructive criticism and advice (not for this Chapter in particular, but on my general writing style)! If it isn't... blame my lack of experience! D: **

**The next one should contain Training, Kurama and more Training! **

**I'd write 'tell me what's wrong with this Chapter', but now I want to add 'if you think there's something wrong, tell me how to improve – without being too cruel (for lack of another word), if possible'. If you like it, well… it would make me very happy! :D **

**Beware of the Kitsune's rage!**

**Shiiroi Kitsune21**


	16. Chapter 15: Bell Test, rematch!

**Returning again! And... OMG, this Chapter is way longer than the others! :O**

**Answering berates: That was just the most insane review I ever saw. Really. **

**Endings 1, 4 and 7: You really like kidnapping Rin, don't you?! I'm not sure if those should be tragedy or parody. Maybe something in between? Endings 12, 14 and 43: No, just… ****_no_**** *cries in a corner*. Endings 21 and 59: that was Perverted, man. With The Capital Letters Of Doom. Ending 57: little Deidara with Sensei!Kakashi, Digievolved!Tobi and Mad!Rin? Oh my God… Ending 67: *cries some more*. **

**Answering Guest: Since this story tries to stick to canon (beside the events changed by Kurama and Older Kakashi), Madara will exist. What he does will be revealed… or not ;)**

**Thanks to buterflypuss, Prescripto13, Mw and (maybe another) Guest too for taking their time to review! :D**

**And, for those who want to know, **_"__Blah" _**is hand-signals.**

* * *

**Chapter 15: Bell Test, rematch!**

After Minato talked with his students about their training, the blonde was curious to test their improved abilities and teamwork; that's why the four shinobi stopped in front of the three logs in the Training Ground 7 at nine o'clock in the morning. Obito wasn't even too late, a once-in-a-lifetime event that no one wanted to miss.

"Weren't there old ladies to help or cats to rescue, Obito?" Minato asked him with an amused expression.

"No one, Minato-sensei!" the boy chirped, scratching his head and chuckling. Better leaving unsaid he had to Henge into someone else to get there without attracting too much attention… not that the Uchihas couldn't have seen under his Henge, but who walked around with his Sharingan active?

Kakashi was going to scold him all the same: if Obito didn't learn anything from Kakashi's… _unusual method_ to get him on time (suggest directly from the 'wisest of all the Bijuus', no less!), than the genin was hopeless. Before he could, however, something near the logs attracted his attention.

Two kids – twelve-years-old, Kakashi guessed – were sharing their bento with a third boy, who was tied to the center stump. The chuunin was almost overwhelmed by the sudden rush of emotions (happiness, sadness, longing, guilt, hurt, determination) the hallucination brought.

He stared and tried to memorize the kids' features, pushing the mixed feelings in the furthest corner of his mind.

The kid on the left was, without a doubt, an Uchiha; the girl with pink hair and _red_ dress was impossible to miss, and the last…

His breath almost stopped. It was like staring at a younger, whiskered and _orange_ version of Minato-sensei, happily eating the offered food.

_'__W-Who…?'_

"My (our?) genin team." Older Kakashi cut him off "They all died". He sounded oddly subdued, like he was debating crying in a corner or telling his story in tears. His tone clearly suggested he wasn't in the mood to tell much, and maybe he would never be.

**"****Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto" **Kurama added, wishing not to elaborate more **"…don't ask more about them, it's better this way". **It sounded suspiciously like an order and Younger Kakashi turned around to focus on Minato-sensei, who had some _very familiar_ bells in his hand.

"OK, everyone!" the blonde announced cheerfully "I'm sure you still remember the rules of the Bell Test, so today I want you to take these" he let the bells jiggle in his hand "before noon, which is in three hours from now!"

Minato waited with a smile plastered on his face, looking at each of his students. The three kids were tense, ready to jump away or drop into a defensive stance. Much to the blonde's surprise, even Obito was focusing entirely to receive the signal.

"Start!"

Team Minato disappeared in the trees.

* * *

"Obito, Rin, set some traps in the east side of the clearing" the boy pointed a section of trees "I'm going to lure him there in ten minutes – make sure the traps work before then".

"But Sensei won't fall for our traps!" Obito whispered back.

Kakashi shot him a dark look "_Of course_ he won't". His voice then lowered to a barely audible "Their objective is to keep him moving".

"How are you going to take the bells?" Rin asked with a frown "Sensei isn't the Yellow Flash for nothing".

The boy put a finger on his masked lips. "_Don't tell" _it meant, then Kakashi pointed his ears and Minato "_He could hear us"._

The genins instantly shut up and nodded. If there was something they discovered about Kakashi, it was his vast knowledge and innate talent for battle strategy – like he summed the work of different minds in less than an hour. Following and giving directions (with and without hand signals) was something they worked on with Sarune, and Kakashi was the one with more talent in planning quickly.

_"__Set kunai traps on three branches" _he hand-signaled, making sure at least Rin understood _"Exploding tags on the ground in a ten-meter radius from the first traps. Rin, prepare Crushing Logs" _the girl nodded _"Obito, do a Katon when you have a clear shot"._Obito stared with a clueless face at both his teammates.

The girl rolled her eyes. _"Later" _she motioned him and the boy nodded.

_"__Scatter!" _

Obito and Rin jumped away at the hand signal and Kakashi took a deep breath.

"Trust them and focus only on your fight – Sensei isn't exactly a slouch, even when he's holding back".

** "****My chakra's ready, Kit." **Both Kakashis could _hear _Kurama's smirk.

The boy nodded to himself and started digging his way under Minato-sensei.

* * *

The blonde was actually surprised he couldn't sense Kakashi's chakra anywhere.

Obito and Rin's signatures were suppressed a little (it looked like they really trained their chakra control when he was away!), but Minato could still sense them, as expected from jonin versus genin. But Kakashi – it was like he disappeared completely. He may be a chuunin, but to suppress _completely _his chakra? His _Jinchuuriki-sized_ chakra?

After the three kids jumped away, Minato tried to eavesdrop with chakra-enhanced hearing on his students. He only heard Rin's question of "how are you going to take the bells" when silence fell. He blinked, surprised. Kakashi actually taught them more complex hand-signals? Before Minato could spy on them, the two genins headed to the jonin's left.

The blonde was sure normal kids shouldn't be able to plan so quickly something remotely satisfying – not even Kakashi, who wasn't exactly normal and was a genius. But _this fast_? It was impossible! Was… was the _Kyuubi imitator_ helping him even in _planning_?

Only his honed shinobi instincts made him jump away in time when the ground beneath him crumbled.

The moment Minato landed, Kakashi attacked him from behind with a kick, easily dodged by the jonin. The blonde was suddenly targeted with a whirlwind of punches and kicks, faster than he would have thought. Kakashi didn't have any intention of giving up his Taijutsu fight with his sensei and sent more of Kurama's chakra into his attacks.

"Don't let him mark you!" 

Kakashi was almost startled by the shouted order, but his reflexes were better than that. Minato aimed a punch to his chest, purposefully on par with the chuunin's speed. It would have leaded him to block it and continue his attack, but Younger Kakashi followed his older self's advice and jumped away, much to Minato's surprise.

_Ox, Bird, Rat, Owl, Snake-_ "Raiton: Lightning Strike!"

A surge of lightning chakra shot towards the blonde jonin, who promptly disappeared.

Kakashi's chakra reappeared behind him and the blonde flashed away just in time to avoid a downward slash to his right shoulder. His student charged at him again with his chakra-enhanced tanto, eyes red with slitted pupils.

Minato froze for a split of second, remembering when the demon took over, how much he feared for the boy's life, the feeling of _hopelessness_…

He quickly moved away from the tanto's slash aimed for the bells and, upon checking his student's chakra, he inwardly frowned. It seemed that Kakashi was still in control (thank Kami about that), but it was like the chakra was pulled in three different directions at the same time – something never accomplished, not even by the most talented in chakra control. And, much to Minato's confusion, the three chakra flows flickered strangely...

_'__Genjutsu!' _His shinobi instincts screamed and the blonde quickly disrupted the illusion, which made his student seem further from him. The boy was actually some meters in front of him, the little chuunin.

Minato smiled proudly. Kakashi was already a little overachiever, wasn't he?

* * *

"Obito, set two Kunais' Rain there" Rin pointed a branch "and there".

The boy nodded and focused entirely on rigging the traps as she said. Fortunately, it was easier now that they knew Kakashi was keeping Minato-sensei busy – almost like a walk in the park. Obito really didn't want to go through _that_ training exercise _again_, which involved randomly falling branches, '_little_ zaps', mortal pokes and an unhealthy dose of craziness.

Obito knew Kakashi's more… _creative_ side had to go somewhere, but _why_ did he have to invent that exercise?

'_At least_,' he mused '_I remember how to make traps'_. He still shuddered at the _'little_ zaps' he got: if his traps were rigged wrong or he took too much time, the Uchiha quickly discovered he would be in for the shock of his life.

Shaking his head, Obito stepped away and double-checked his handiwork. The ninja wires were in place, the kunais were hidden right and he didn't trip over the strings. After a minute of intense staring, he smiled widely – it was so easy planting traps without the fear of getting zapped!

"Stop!"

Obito froze. What was wrong now? He looked at Rin with a surprised expression.

_"__Don't go there" _she signaled, crossing her arms and pointing the branch in front of him. He blushed and scratched his head. Rin knew very well how to hide her traps – not that Obito expected any less. She was clever, patient, talented, focused…

…and right at his side. She looked pretty pissed off, too.

"Obito," Rin whispered exasperated "pay attention. Follow me, hide where I say and prepare a Katon ninjutsu, got it?" The boy flushed a deeper shade of red and nodded. Great, now he made a fool of himself in front of his crush…

He followed Rin's instructions and steeled himself in his hiding place. He would concentrate only on his task: remain hidden, wait for Minato-sensei to be in his range and hit him with a Katon. Even if Obito died of curiosity, he wouldn't try to watch the fight, discover where Rin was (he still couldn't sense chakra properly, damn it! The fact she suppressed it didn't help in the slightest) or whatever. He won't be deadweight again, in training or on missions. He _won't_.

Rin was on a high branch with her kunai ready to cut a string of ninja wire. It would activate the 'Crushing Log' trap, as Kakashi called it when he… _tested_ it. It was difficult to make under pressure and in a limited time, but the girl was confident in her teammate's skill to hold off Minato-sensei and she took five minutes to rig it.

He already bought them enough time to set the traps – now she only had to activate the 'Crushing Log' the moment her sensei arrived. The unorthodox 'reaction-time training' would come in handy too, she mused.

The sounds of the fight neared their positions and both genins tensed, preparing themselves to attack or, if push came to shove, to flee.

* * *

Minato continued to dodge and try to mark Kakashi, but the boy was always ready to get away with a Kawarimi, like part of him was continuously building up his chakra to perform it.

Not that the blonde was putting all of his effort, but he was more focused than he normally would in normal training. He had to avoid Kakashi's tanto, his Raiton jutsus (which Minato recognized, having fought on Kumo's border for almost a month) and genjutsus. It was the first time the jonin knew of a Jinchuuriki capable of performing them, given the massive load of chakra to control with almost clinical precision.

Then again, the Jinchuurikis he knew had large reserves even before the sealing, making precise chakra control impossible. Kakashi, instead, didn't waste even a drop of his energy due to his early training with both his father and Minato. And now the Kyuubi imitator was added to that list, too.

They took their fight on the trees and the boy didn't perform ninjutsu anymore. Minato noticed and smirked inwardly – either Kakashi didn't want to hurt his hidden teammates or there was something important here. Whatever the reason was, the blonde knew he had to keep his guard up.

The second he landed on a branch, Minato had to flash away to avoid a barrage of kunai raining on his spot. So his little genins actually remembered how to rig traps? And in such a short time, too!

After the third rain of kunai, Minato was literally beaming at their ability: they predicted where he would jump and Kakashi saw exactly where the traps were, even without assisting Rin and Obito.

But he wasn't known as the Yellow Flash for nothing and the moment he saw the field of exploding tags under him, he took out his Hiraishin kunai and marked the whole place.

* * *

"Shit!" 

That word summed up _perfectly_ Kakashi's situation. Minato-sensei was currently flashing between all of his signature kunai, avoiding Rin and Obito's traps and _poking_ them. All the while repeating "Got you!", "Focus!", "Faster!" and "Ahah, _poke_!" Not even Kakashi himself was spared.

**"****Well, the plan was to make him move". **

Both Kakashis inwardly shot him two very dark glares. They were sure Minato charged his pokes with chakra just for the heck of it. Or was it to test his chakra system?

_'__Who knew pokes actually stung?!' _

"Chakra can turn everything into a weapon. _Everything!_" Older Kakashi seemed to shudder a little, but the other two were busy trying to come up with a plan to actually pay attention. Younger Kakashi was throwing kunai and shuriken to his sensei, hoping to get the bells. Even with Kurama's increased reflexes and sight, he soon discovered it was an impossible task.

"Katon: Dragon's Breath no jutsu!"

Obito spat in sequence five fireballs that resembled roaring dragons' heads. Two almost hit Minato-sensei, while the other three burned respectively some Hiraishin kunai. It wasn't exactly planned, but hey, their sensei was fast and those kunai were _everywhere_! It was obvious something would get in the way.

Rin was trying to avoid being poked, but the 'reaction-time training' could do only so much. She got some bruises from the chakra-enhanced pokes and every _damn_ time she tried to get Minato-sensei he would teleport away.

"OW, OW, OW! Sensei, stop hitting me!"

"They're not hits, Obito!" _poke _"They are" _poke_ "only pokes!" _poke, poke, poke_.

Minato sounded sadistically gleeful and it was written plainly on his face – not that anyone could see it. There was a reason he began the test at nine o'clock – he was _so_ not going to drop chakra exhausted when he could have this much _fun_!

"What are you going to do now, kids?" the blonde chirped cheerfully "I didn't even break a sweat! You have to do better to get the bells!"

"Damn it, I didn't think sensei would take out the Hiraishin kunai! He never did!"

**"****It still didn't forbid him from doing just that." **was Kurama's deadpan.

_'__What if we just use Obito and Rin as bait and, when sensei pokes them, we get the bells?' _Younger Kakashi really didn't see the point in helping his teammates if they _all_ were in neck-deep trouble. Only he had some chances to succeed and save them – or what remained of them after all those chakra-enhanced hits.

Both his older self and Kurama nagged at him to give Obito and Rin a chance, get to know them and socialize, but it was just _a bad idea_. If they were killed on missions and he was attached to them, who knew what emotional mess he would be? After what happened to _him_…

"You…!"

**"****OI! Don't space out!" **

Kakashi quickly moved away from Minato's mortal poke and landed on the opposite side of his teammates. The three of them were standing in a little clearing near a crater (which may or may not have been caused by the exploding tags), distant at least ten meters from each other.

Minato flashed near Kakashi and threw five kunais toward Rin and Obito. He was careful to not kill or maim them, of course, but the genins couldn't avoid the weapons at that speed.

Time seemed to slow down.

Rin and Obito were staring wide-eyed and they were ready to jump, but it was clear they couldn't avoid the flying weapons.

Younger Kakashi wanted to turn around and get the bells now, when Minato-sensei was near and wasn't poking him.

Kurama pumped his chakra to Kakashi's feet to make him faster than the weapons.

Older Kakashi wanted badly, _so badly_, to protect his Team from any harm that he _knew_ would fall on them.

Whatever emotional restraint he had, it flew out of the metaphorical window and Older Kakashi immediately took control of his younger self's body. He quickly dashed in front of his teammates, hands already forming hand seals.

"Doton: Earth Wall!"

Before the two genins could blink, a wall made of stone and dirt shot up from the ground and all of Minato's kunai stuck on the other side of it.

After a moment of intense staring, the blonde eventually decided that _yes_, Kakashi did protect his teammates instead of trying to get the bells alone. In which he would have failed, no doubt.

Instead, Minato's best case scenario revealed itself: Kakashi actually learnt the importance of teamwork and his teammates. It was a nice change from the boy who faked his faith in their ability to pass a test. The blonde hoped with all his heart Kakashi wouldn't need to learn it the hard way (i.e. one of them died), and his wish was granted. He smiled warmly.

The blonde already decided he'd let them have the bells, but who was he to not put up a fight?

* * *

"Well done, kids!" he beamed.

Tired pants answered him. Did he really overdo it? By Obito's sprawled position, Rin's amount of sweat and Kakashi's breathing, maybe Minato did. Well, it can count as training, he mused.

Their tag-combos were efficient, even if some were really,_ really_ dirty tactics. Because _yes_, a kick in the nuts could hurt quite a bit, but it was unfair trying to do it on your _sensei_. And Minato wasn't really sure he wanted to know if Kakashi's 'Thousand Years of Death' really struck _there_.

Other than that, he confirmed his students kept up their training even without him.

Traps, teamwork, hand signals, focus – yes, Minato had some really hard-working kids. And now that he returned from his month-long mission, they would train even _more_! There was so much they could do together when little Kakashi wasn't opposed to work with his teammates! But before, he had to work with the two genins…

Kakashi narrowed his eyes at his sensei's sadistic grin and couldn't help but shudder.

* * *

**A/N: Explanations! Read before writing! :D**

**I thought 'Team Minato is a sabotaging team, so why not make them use traps?' and poof, the idea of the traps in the bell test. I gave the traps names like Kunais' Rain and Crushing Log because why not? There was a video with Rin and Obito working together with traps to get catch Minato, if I'm not wrong.**

**Why did Kakashi want Minato to move constantly without the Hiraishin? Because he (in their minds) would have been distracted by Rin, Obito and the traps to notice him; Kakashi would have sneaked behind him or lashed out a flashy attack to get the bells (almost) unnoticed. Things got downhill when Minato marked the trees with Hiraishin kunai. **

**I didn't think the Bell Test would take this much pages, but in the next Chapter Kurama will appear! This is a promise, believe it! There should be Kushina, Sensei!Kurama and training! **

**Beware of the Kitsune's rage!**

**Shiiroi Kitsune21 **


	17. Chapter 16: Taking a step forward

**Kinda forgot in the last Chapter: OMG more than 100 followers? I'm so happy, grateful and youthfully excited for your support, thank you! *bows and takes roses* Thank you, thank you… **

**…*****cough* sappy things done, onto the answers! :D**

**Answering berates: Who said I didn't love your reviews? XD But why you don't share your youthful Ending 69 to poor, starving authors? *puppy eyes no jutsu* Don't even try to resist, it's useless! You shall succumb to my CUTENESS! ;3 **

**Thanks to Callian31, buterflypuss, Prescripto13, darkangelwp and Shadow-Shinobi666 (OMG 666! :O) for their support and reviews! And of course I'll continue this story till the end! Internally-arguing!Kakashi is too awesome to vanish into the darkness of not-creativeness! ;D**

* * *

**Chapter 16: Taking a step forward **

Kushina started slurping her bowl of 'heavenly pot of goodness' at Ichiraku Ramen. She bolted there the exact same instant the Hokage examined the retrieved scroll and dismissed her team, much to the two men's amazement. Screw sleeping – she needed her bowls of awesomeness NOW!

The red-head was in a very happy mood. Her team encountered some resistance from a group of Kiri-nin, which made the worst mistake a shinobi could do: underestimate their opponents. It was actually a very brief fight – which ended immediately in Konoha's favor. Who suspected the graceful, slim and red-haired kunoichi to be a chakra powerhouse? For shinobi sent in Uzu's territory, they sure didn't know much about Uzumakis.

After that skirmish, Kushina and her teammates retrieved the scroll from the village's ruins (which brought so many memories about that large-scale attack…) and returned without a hitch in Konoha. Really, it could have been classified as a B-rank mission.

Fortunately for the loud red-head, she always had someone to talk to whenever she wanted. Extremely useful, especially when your teammates were from the Nara or the Aburame clans. They weren't exactly the chit-chat type and they weren't even funny to annoy, either. The Furball, instead…

_'__Kyuu?' _

**"****Don't call me that, human." **the Kyuubi growled in response.

Kushina pouted inwardly, _'Ow… why shouldn't I?' _

She could _feel_ the Kyuubi counting from one to ten. He was really in a grumpy mood now, it seemed. **"…Do you still want your limbs attached or not?' **

_'__I like my arms and legs, thank you very much.'_

The Kitsune snorted, **"At least you have a brain somewhere." **he mumbled to himself.

Kushina continued to slurp her ramen, now on her fourth bowl. She didn't know the exact reason she was giving the furball a chance. Mito-sama said that she spoke only once to the Kyuubi and then they pretty much ignored each other. If one didn't count the times the seal was weaker and he would try to break free, that was. When young Kushina asked about those, Mito laughed without much humor and, ruffling her hair, she admitted it was 'quite the experience'. Young Kushina was not impressed.

_'__How do you feel?' _

**"****What?!" **if the Kyuubi was a lesser being he would have spluttered. He wasn't much used to Kushina's random questions, even after a month! It was a little better when she simply ignored him.

_'__You heard perfectly.' _Kushina gave the mental version of a pout, still slurping her ramen _'You know, being chained and all with only one as company, I would get jittery. I don't know about you, so – how do you feel?' _

The bijuu grumbled something about weird human tendencies, then he began answering as angrily as 'non-threatening' could allow. **"I was chained to this damn ball for eleven years…" **he growled out **"HOW DO YOU THINK I SHOULD FEEL?! CAGED, IMPRISONED, ROBBED OF ****_MY_****_FREEDOM!_****" **

Kushina winced a little and almost choked on the ramen's broth. The Kyuubi was in a REALLY grumpy mood.

_'__Then why does Kurama help 'Kashi-kun – dattebane?!' _she had to work extra hard to keep her shout in her thoughts. She would get a one-way ticket to the psych ward if she randomly screamed in Konoha.

**"****THAT FAKE LOWERED HIMSELF TO SERVE A HUMAN AND TOOK MY NAME!" **the bijuu snarled and started struggling against his chains. Kushina wrapped around him as much chakra as she could without alarming the other shinobis, then his words actually sunk in.

_'…__Your name?' _she repeated a little unsure. The Kyuubi stopped snarling and, thinking back on what he said, he cursed. Damn, he didn't mean to tell her about that. Only the Ridoku Sennin knew it – and that was because he gave him his name, along with his supposed brothers and sisters. No one bothered to tell other souls their names and eventually they were called only by their titles.

Kushina took Kurama's cursing as a yes. So not only Kakashi's bijuu had a similar chakra, but he had the same name as well? Talk about coincidences...

_'__So I can call you Kurama?' _

The Kitsune glared at her with an unspoken 'don't you dare or else'.

_'__If you prefer Furball of Fuzzbutt…' _

**"****You're testing my patience, human." **Kurama's aura changed into 'they won't find your corpse' and his glare intensified.

Kushina inwardly waved her hand dismissively, _'Ahah… OK Kurama, I won't give you nicknames… no need to be such a killjoy, though… uhm…' _she seemed to think about something and the Kyuubi almost dreaded her next random question.

_'__Do you get grumpy because the seal is uncomfortable?' _

Kurama was going to growl at her to mind her own business when he actually listened to her words and stopped. What was she suggesting? He raised the equivalent of an eyebrow with a suspicious expression.

_'__You know, being chained and all – it isn't a wonder you are so irritating. I think I can change the mindscrape a little, dattebane…' _Now she was _seriously_ asking herself why she was holding a conversion with the Furball. Seeing him tied to a ball made her feel much more sure about the seal's condition, why was she suggesting changing it? Was it because… she wanted Kurama to act like his fake, friendly and helpful? Or it was because, deep down, she didn't like his condition as a captive?

The Kyuubi stared. Damn it, he actually liked the sound of 'changing the mindscrape'. He had to admit the seal was uncomfortable as hell, but he never paid it too much attention – he was sealed away since the Shodaime, first in his wife and then in Kushina. It was the norm for him to be chained and angry at the humans who dared to take his freedom and his power.

Never been one to waste his chances, the Kyuubi agreed to this deal.

When a lush forest appeared around him he couldn't help but stare some more. It was a nice change from being chained to a ball, even though there was a cage around him all the same. He wasn't sure how he should call the warm sensation he felt. Was it… happiness?

No, it couldn't be. No. He was only glad that he didn't have those uncomfortable spikes on his body, that was all.

_'__So? How is it?' _Kushina's voice resounded in the mindscrape. Kurama could almost feel her mirth running around.

**"…****Better than the chains." **he grudgingly admitted. It was the truth and he didn't have to explain the warm feeling in his chest. He hoped Kushina didn't pry more than he was 'comfortable' with and wrapped his finally free tails around him.

The Uzumaki laughed inwardly, _'See? Now you're definitely less grumpy!' _

**"****Shut up, woman." **

Kushina chuckled and cut off their mental link, apparently satisfied with her conversation. Kurama couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, not all humans were power hungry morons. He thought about Kushina.

Nah, other humans were just plain crazy.

* * *

_The day after_

After the Bell Test, Team Minato met in the Training Ground 25 to train some more. Obito arrived fifteen minutes late and, right when Kakashi was going to jump at him for lateness, Sarune appeared and snatched Rin from Minato. The woman said she had to leave in three days for a mission and it was better 'to train her while I'm here or else you men will recklessly jump in the middle of the fight and bleed out without a good medic there'. Minato could argue for himself about her logic, but for Obito and Kakashi…

…In the end, Sarune departed with Rin to continue learning iryo-ninjutsu.

Minato was left with Obito and Kakashi, the latter of which looking more than ready to punch his teammate straight on the jaw and the other itching to do something (that may or may not involve running for his life).

Seeing sparks between their eyes, the blonde instantly knew he had to do _something_ that didn't involve fighting. He got an idea when Kakashi's eyes almost bled to red.

"Guys!" he clapped his hands and caught their attention, "why don't we split up for today? Obito, I want to see what you learned with 'Kashi-kun!" the chuunin's eyebrow twitched at the name and Obito snickered a little. He quickly shut up and nodded when he saw Kakashi's glare almost turn blood-red.

"Kakashi, I already saw your improved skills during our fight." The boy fought very hard to keep down two people's worth of elation at the praise and listened intently to his sensei.

"Your physical attributes improved during my absence: speed, reflexes, strength and precision were all better than the last time. Your hand seals were faster and your ninjutsu knowledge was larger as well. You learned how to cast genjutsus too, but I don't think that's your field of specialization."

Kakashi nodded and his 'guests' agreed. Kurama muttered **"No shit, Sherlock"** while Older Kakashi remembered the strenuous work they both had to do to cast genjutsus during their fight. They entered in panic for a second, shouting at each other to '_split up the chakra dammit'_, '_it isn't that simple, do it_ _yourself_' and '_we'll never do this again'_. They still didn't know why they could divide their chakra flows for ninjutsu but not for genjutsu.

Minato continued his assessing "You came up with a plan in barely some minutes and trusted your teammates to rig the traps. It would have worked if I didn't use the Hiraishin to avoid you three."

Younger Kakashi felt a little less elated and guiltier of lying to his sensei. It wasn't _him_ that believed in his teammates, it was his older self. It was technically the same, but at the same time it wasn't. And yes, if Minato didn't take out the Hiraishin the plan would have worked. What a cheater.

"Just keep in mind that the enemies _always _have an ace up their sleeves and be prepared for the worst. In our case, it was my Hiraishin that made your plan fall apart. Got it?" the blonde smiled lightly, but underneath his face there was sternness – the kind that screamed 'you better get it or else'.

Kakashi nodded again and murmured an affirmative. Minato brightened instantly.

"OK then, I'll test Obito's one-on-one skills – think about my words and be on your merry way, 'Kashi-kun!" the blonde cheerfully waved at him and the chuunin leaped on a branch. Minato clearly knew he didn't need to say 'go training somewhere else' or 'take care of yourself'. There were four ANBU constantly tailing him, there was nothing to worry about.

"So we're left to our own devices?" 

**"****Looks like it, Hatake." **

_'__What should we do now?' _

Older Kakashi thought about it and snapped his metaphorical fingers in realization, "I know!" he shouted gleefully "Visualization Training!" 

Kurama sighed, giving the demon version of a face-palm and the youngest of the trio raised an eyebrow at that. What was this 'visualization training' about, if the bijuu face-palmed in exasperation?

**"****We're not going to read those perverted books, Hatake." **

_'__Perverted… books?' _

Older Kakashi nodded enthusiastically "Reading them while walking and sparring is a good way to learn multitasking, you know?" It was _obvious_ he would jump at the chance to corrupt his younger self at a younger age! He could just imagine his reaction…

**"****No way in hell! Don't even think about it – are they even written yet?" **Kurama didn't know how Naruto put up with two perverted teachers and he wasn't sure he really wanted to ask. And if the Icha Icha books weren't published yet… that would completely erase Older Kakashi's chances to get porn anytime soon.

He shrugged. "Well, I read them so many times I remember them by memory…" Older Kakashi almost purred in a _definitely suggestive_ tone.

Kurama and Younger Kakashi didn't like the sound of that very much.

* * *

Hound raised an eyebrow when their target blushed furiously for no reason at all.

Actually, he smelled _blood_ and he could feel his teammates tense near his position. He waved his hand at them and briefly lamented the lack of hand signals for 'don't worry – he just has a nosebleed because of probably perverted thoughts'.

…a ten-years-old with perverted thoughts? It sounded suspiciously like a younger Jiraya.

_That_ was something to worry about. Kami knew how many times the 'super pervert' peeped and the shinobi had to stop the kunoichis from murdering him, kid or adult, with or without students. The birth of his perverseness was unknown to everyone, but he seemed pretty skilled at eleven years old already.

The little Jinchuuriki clasped his nose in his hands and started tree-hopping with a speed no ten-years-old should possess. The four ANBU dashed after him, making sure to be hidden properly. Cat, Boar and Owl didn't seem to dismiss the nosebleed as nothing worrying.

"_What's that?"_ Cat hand-signaled. The others could almost imagine his confused frown.

Boar sighed noiselessly. "_All clear_" he signaled back, willing his comrade to understand it wasn't dangerous. It wasn't normal, per se, but after hearing Jiraya's peeping tales from some retired shinobi… nothing could surprise him anymore about children and teenagers.

Cat seemed still doubtful, so Owl and Hound signaled him "_Shut up_". Their captain added "_Follow him_" for good measure and the four ANBU stopped their 'conversation'.

Cat was still confused.

* * *

Kurama had to take control of his host. He was left without another choice because Older Kakashi knocked out his younger self with the most… perverted… paragraphs of Icha Icha. When the mental projection of the chuunin fell over with a nosebleed, Older Kakashi gave the bijuu thumbs up and politely asked for control.

Kurama was _not_ impressed and took over the body with a sigh. Well, now was time to advance in chakra control – why not bring him at Training Ground 46 to continue?

Older Kakashi pouted and crossed his arms, but went along with it all the same. He could resist without porn for some time, like during Konoha's reconstruction after Pein's attack and the Fourth Shinobi War. He remembered some passages, but it was much better reading them without racking his brain.

His younger self's reaction was so _hilarious_…

**"****Oi, wake him up." **Kurama growled at him and Kakashi did.

Younger Kakashi grumbled a little and got up from his position in the mindscrape. He wasn't sure why awareness was returning to him slowly and he was more than a little worried. Before he could open his mouth to ask something, Kurama beat him to it.

**"****Your coils adapted enough for the second stage, Kit." **

The chuunin got up immediately and the reason he fainted was forgotten in favor of training.

**"****You remember the chakra claw I created, right?" **not even waiting for an answer, Kurama continued **"it will be your goal: shape and extend our chakra."**

Shape and extend? If couldn't be that difficult: ninjas shape and change the nature of their energy every day and every time they perform a jutsu. Then why was it a separate phase of this training?

"Wait a second." Older Kakashi got the other two's attention, then continued "If we use your chakra it's more likely that someone else will know about you. What did you plan to avoid this?"

The demon actually snickered, **"Isn't that obvious? We won't use only my energy, but yours as well to cover mine. It's only a matter of precise control." **

_'__But isn't your chakra more powerful than ours?' _Younger Kakashi raised an eyebrow _'How should we cover yours without dropping exhausted?' _

**"****Like I was going to say… you have two people's worth of energy. Still nothing compared to me, but this makes control easier. We can divide our 'work' – I give the major load of chakra, older you wraps his (and yours if necessary) around mine and you direct it, increasing or lessening the force." **Kurama explained in easy terms.

After being inside Naruto for so many years he picked up the habit to tell things simply – the 'fool-proof' kind. Even in the midst of the battle, Kurama had to tell Naruto his plans in a way he could understand immediately. Needless to say, it was a little frustrating for the bijuu.

The two Hatakes obviously understood immediately – being geniuses sure helped matters. Everything would go smoothly if all of them fulfilled their roles properly.

"The Rokudaime told me he first unlocked your cloak and then he began 'chakra extension' training. Why is it different for us?" Older Kakashi asked curiously.

The youngest almost spluttered. The Rokudaime Hokage was Kurama's _Jinchuuriki_?!

**"****It because this seal and the circumstances are different." **the bijuu answered lazily **"He was a newborn when I was sealed in him and he had all his life to adapt to my chakra – plus, the seal restrained me from taking over at will. Little Kakashi**, **instead, got another seal, one that allowed me to release three tails' worth of my chakra before offering resistance. The fact he didn't have coils adapted to me is an important factor, which slowed the process of adjustment." **

Younger Kakashi shivered a little when he heard 'three tails' worth of chakra'. He didn't know how much power it took for Kurama to take over the first time, but he was sure it wasn't three tails. The boy was sure he didn't want to experience more burning chakra than necessary when he wasn't 'adapted' yet.

"So… because this is a different seal and the coils aren't tough enough, the chakra cloak has to wait."

**"****Exactly." **Kurama nodded. He didn't want to go into the more technical aspect of how the seal works – that was something only the bijuu needed to know.

**"****Now, returning on shaping and extending chakra… just gather our chakra in your hand – or wherever you want your extension to begin. It's easier focusing it on the hands, so I would start from there. Exit from the mindscrape and start training, Kit." **

Younger Kakashi still didn't understand why Kurama insisted on calling him 'Kit', but he followed his instructions all the same. How he ended up in a meditative position in the middle of Training Ground 46, it didn't matter now.

Kakashi got up and gathered his and Kurama's chakra in his right hand. He felt the pressure in his coils building up, like it was blocked by something. It actually started to itch and tingle, and Kakashi had to refrain himself from scratching it – he would not break his focus. He could resist, but what was happening?

"Gomen, gomen… I was just checking if there was anyone other than the ANBU guards!" his older self sheepishly admitted and the chakra coils weren't blocked anymore. Kurama grumbled something that sounded like 'about time you did' and their combined energy swirled in his right hand.

Younger Kakashi expected it to burn, but it actually felt… warm. A comforting, slight warm surrounding his hand. Yellow bubbles appeared on his gloves and he stared, mesmerized. When Kurama formed it on the waterfall, the chakra had a deep red colour, showing all of his demonic nature. Those yellow bubbles, instead, looked so… _soft_, and yet he knew they were powerful when combined. He didn't know if that was a coincidence, but that particular shade of yellow reminded him of Minato's hair...

**"****Kit, it's just red and white together." **He could feel Kurama rolling his eyes **"It isn't orange just because I put less of my chakra and older you focused more of his white one. Now, instead of gaping, you have to shape it into a hand – or a claw, if you prefer." **The bijuu didn't seem to like Younger Kakashi's staring at the yellow bubbles and the chuunin followed his instructions.

He gathered all the knowledge he had about shaping his chakra and concentrated on creating a claw around his hand. He had to admit it was a little more difficult than raising an earth wall or sending an electric bolt – he encountered a similar problem when he tried to copy Minato-sensei's Rasengan. It didn't end well at the time, but now Kakashi could count on… unexpected help to avoid chakra burns and random explosions. It was comforting having someone else to lend a hand.

After some minutes of trial, Kakashi formed a satisfying chakra claw around his right hand. **"Now extend it and hit that tree in front of us – it should feel like something between throwing a kunai and punching. Try it, Kit." **

The chuunin didn't need Kurama to tell him anything else and he hurled forward the chakra claw. He didn't have time to stare fascinated at the water-looking flow behind it when his hit landed on the bark. The tree was basically shattered by the force.

…Actually, several trees were shattered.

A loud sequence of random noises (crushed barks, falling branches and foliage, startled birds, upturning roots…) later, Kakashi gaped at the damage he had done _with a single hit_. He left a startlingly evident trail of destruction long several meters – fifteen, more or less.

_'__...Oops?' _

Kurama face-palmed and sighed. **"You had to control the force, Kit. It could have gone better, but at least you didn't destroy the entire forest… it was a close one, though." **

Younger Kakashi felt himself blush in embarrassment. He did quite a lot of damage, but it wouldn't be normal for chuunin and people would start suspecting him too soon. And what if he needed to grab someone and he ended up crushing him? What if he accidentally _murdered_ a comrade?

**"****Let's just change exercise." **Kurama suggested **"Grab a tree and try not to shatter it. The Rokudaime did so with stones, but it can work with wood as well." **

Older Kakashi nodded "This way we won't raze the forest to the ground and the ANBU will think this first attempt was to gather some material." Both Hatakes were glad it could justify the… _little_ slip in control of the chakra claw: they were pround of their skills and weren't prone to show weakness in front of random people.

So Kakashi took a deep breath and walked toward the fallen trees.

* * *

Hound and his teammates were a little shaken by the amount of destruction the little Jinchuuriki caused with one hit.

Scratch it: they were afraid, ANBU or not. They counted themselves as lucky for being several meters away from his attack. He didn't seem to have much control over it yet, and they knew all too well how uncontrolled jutsus could end...

The chuunin stopped and stared at the damage. It was a wonder no one appeared here to check if there was an enemy or some emergency of any kind – but, with legendary ninja running around, Hound couldn't blame others for not jumping around in panic. Destructive jutsus in the outskirts of the village were more often than not ignored, especially if they came from a Training Ground.

ANBUs never ignored them. It was their task to ensure there wasn't an enemy wreaking havoc, and after the news about the security breach of a month ago, the Black Ops were more alert than ever.

The little Hatake stepped forward and gathered yellow chakra around his hand again. This time, his movements were slower and he tried to grab a fallen tree. The chakra claw wrapped around it and he was carefully lifting it…

_CRUSH! _

The poor tree was crushed the moment Kakashi applied too much force. He seemed to curse under his breath and started again with another one on his right. The ANBU watched warily as the first three trees were shattered by the yellow claw, the fourth cracked ominously…

It was sure to be a long day this one and the four ANBU made themselves comfortable on their branches, keeping out of the Jinchuuriki's way.

* * *

**A/N: Another Chapter so soon? OMG! :D **

**…****I don't have much to say now, other than review and tell me how to improve! :D**

**EDIT: Since I'm still working on the next Chapter, I'll answer now to beartes's review: ...#69 is a really original ending. In a good way, of course ;3 And your 'awesomeness' infected me! The ANBU will report sometime in the future, Obito shall have SCREEN TIME, Kurama does hate him but Older Kakashi is... Older Kakashi and Kurama sees some of Naruto's personality on him. He wasn't directly responsable, since Kaguya resurrected sometime after Naruto became Rokudaime (in this story, at least). No one noticed Older Kakashi's chakra because it's the same as Chibi Kakashi and, well... he knows how to suppress it? Not everyone is a sensor-nin able to tell? Kurama is badass like that and restrains a bit of Older Kakashi's chakra? Kakashi is awesome? All of this together? Yes. A thousand times yes. **

**But what's 'sheshanigams'? ... *cough* anyway, I answered? **

**Beware of the Kitsune's rage!**

**ShiiroiKitsune21 **


	18. Chapter 17: Suspicion

***looks at the reviews* "OMG, 105 reviews?!" *faints* **

**I'll never end thanking you for reaching this goal! :D **

**Answering Jleath1234: Ah… ok. I'll make them meet early and yes, I'm always willing to see your ideas, if you want to share! ;) **

**Answering Becc: the answer is no, Kurama and Older Kakashi won't be affected by their younger selves' changes. The explanation? The Jikan no Fujin (Seal of Time) kind of 'sealed' the timeline of the travellers and threw them backwards. When they 'landed', the timeline split up in two branches: the 'sealed' branch and the 'ongoing' one. Kurama and Older Kakashi are running on the latter, but what made them who they are still exists.**

**Warning! This Chapter is not beta'd yet! Read at your own risk! **

**Thanks to taco and NarutoXHonoka for your reviews, too and now… onto the Chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 17: Suspicion **

Obito was very un-amused.

The boy was face-down on the grass of Training Ground 25, some hours after Kakashi left. He was sweating, panting and just couldn't find the force to glare at his sensei. When the blonde said 'I'll test your one-on-one skills', he meant a major beating. Or rather, _poking_. _Chakra-enhanced poking_.

Minato crouched over his exhausted student, a smile plastered on his face. "Obito, whatever training you did with Kakashi gave some really interesting results, you know?"

Obito slowly looked up and raised an eyebrow. What did he mean by 'interesting'?

His sensei chuckled, "Your skills improved during the month I was away – your speed, reflexes and focus increased considerably, I'll give you that." Obito would have whooped in joy at the praise if he wasn't so tired, but Minato didn't finish yet, "You have learned a new jutsu, but you have to practice more before using it on the field: your aim was off, you wasted chakra and precious time to finish the hand seals."

The blonde placed Obito on his back. "You'll eventually acquire more chakra control through training and meditation, but you won't use the Dragon's Breath until I say so. Understood?"

The boy nodded tiredly and fell asleep on his sensei's back. Maybe he wouldn't mind if Obito took a little nap…

Minato chuckled softly again when he heard his student snoring on his shoulder. If Kushina was there she would have squealed "Kawaii!" and pinched Obito's cheeks until the skin peeled from his face.

…or she would have painted his face, took a photo and blackmailed him to confess himself to Rin. Or something even worse, like that time she challenged him to eat the 'youthful curry of springtime!' (in Maito Gai's words) and Obito, like the naïve kid he was at ten years old, ate it – only to faint from the sheer spiciness of the food. Kushina laughed uncontrollably for a good ten minutes before taking a photo and laughing on the floor again.

The blonde smiled at the memory and looked up when he arrived in front of the Uchiha Compound. There were two guards in front of the entrance – both had spiky dark hair and wore the same Konoha police outfit. They activated their Sharingan from time to time to check their surroundings, and Minato guessed everyone was still jittery from the security breach of a month ago.

The two guards looked at him and Obito for a second with their Sharingan before nodding and letting him enter in the Compound. Right after walking past the gates, Minato felt a pair of eyes drilling holes in his back and he turned around. Did he imagine it?

At first, he shrugged it off as paranoia. He fought on the frontline for a month, it was natural his instincts were playing tricks on him. But the more he walked to Obito's house, the more he felt the Clan's eyes were on them. In front of him, some people greeted him happily, while behind him someone glared at Minato.

Or rather, glared at Obito, who was still sleeping on his back.

When he reached that conclusion, Minato finally noticed the glares were focused solely on his student. The Uchihas who did were mostly male jonins and carried around them an aura of arrogance. The blonde frowned. What could cause some clansmen to despise Obito so much?

When Minato went to the Uchiha Head to officially declare Obito as his student from then on, Shiryu-sama looked displeased and he admitted he wished someone else from the Clan to become Minato's student. The newly-appointed jonin sensei frowned and asked himself why the Clan Head didn't want Obito as his student, but he shrugged it off at the time. It must have been some kind of preference, he thought.

But now it was getting a little worrying.

Minato frowned further when he noticed the traps around Obito's house. There wasn't any seal, so he was fairly sure the mysterious Fuinjutsu user wasn't the culprit (plus he already left without a trace, why should he remain inside Konoha's most paranoid and powerful clan?). He gently put down his student and examined the traps on the door.

They were very well done and their design was unmistakably Konohan. Minato reached the first plausible conclusion – someone from Konoha (a jonin, by the looks of it) placed traps in his student's house. They weren't even chuunin-level traps, which were more than enough to catch a genin: there were mostly jonin-level traps, but it didn't make sense if their target was Obito.

The blonde took a deep breath. "Obito, wake up."

The boy mumbled some curses to a hypothetic alarm clock (for which he should receive an hearful, but Minato had more urgent matters.) and the jonin sighed. Always the hard way for him, uh? He charged his fingers with a little of wind chakra and pinched his cheek.

"_OW_! WHAT THE… oh, sensei… hi." Obito looked at him with half lidded eyes, silently asking, 'Well? Why did you wake me?'

"Why are there traps in your house?" Minato used his '_answer me or else'_ voice, jerking his student from his sleepy state.

"_Traps_? A-Ano…" Obito flushed red and looked everywhere but at him. "…Sarune-san placed them 'cause… uh… it's safer?" He didn't seem convinced about his reasoning and he kept fiddling his thumbs nervously.

Minato narrowed his eyes.

"So you asked Sarune-san," he summed slowly, "to place jonin-level traps in your house… to make sure no one could break in." His look screamed, '_And you think I won't ask for more?_'

Obito nodded, completely missing the point.

Minato sighed and shunshinned in his student's bedroom, avoiding the traps. Little kids can be so oblivious… after dealing with Kakashi for years, he never thought he would have to master _it_.

The art of stating the obvious.

"Obito, those are _jonin_-level traps." He stressed the 'jonin'.

"So?"

Minato almost groaned, "_Why _are those jonin-level?"

"…'cause it's better?"

"Why did you ask Sarune-san to place them?"

Obito fidgeted under his teacher's gaze and mumbled something intelligible, trying to delay the inevitable. Minato sighed and put his hands on the boy's shoulders.

"Obito. Tell me." He ground out. He was running low on patience, especially knowing there was something or someone who alarmed his student so much he wanted high-level traps in his house.

The Uchiha locked eyes with Minato and his resolve fell instantly. He took a deep breath and whispered it might take a while. The blonde didn't have a good feeling about this.

* * *

Minato wished his gut instinct was wrong this time. It wasn't.

It was midafternoon and he was waiting outside the Hokage's office to talk with him. Almost an hour ago, he didn't know anything about whatever led his cute little students to train together, but now he wished he didn't know at all.

Obito was attacked by two of his clansmen – two _jonin_, two _mostly respected_ jonin _attacked his genin student _while everyone else was away only because he wasn't like the average skilled, stuck up and arrogant Uchiha! If it wasn't for Kakashi…

It was out of luck Obito didn't get injured. Really, what were the chances Kakashi was hiding from Gai inside the same Training Ground as his teammate? And the fact he was willing to help him at the cost of facing two jonins at the same time! Before the whole 'turned-into-a-Jinchuuriki' thing, Minato didn't think Kakashi would have done it for Obito or anyone else.

It was a welcomed change, but why did he start helping them only after_ a demon was sealed in him_?

Minato couldn't say he had a lot of experience interacting with demons and such: Kushina complained a lot about the Kyuubi when he started studying seals and he fought against Killer Bee of Kumo, so the blonde thought it took a willing demon and a lot of time for them to fight together.

For Kushina, she had a lot of time to pass with the Kyuubi, but he wasn't budging in the slightest about cooperating. For Killer Bee, it worked just fine. For Kakashi, the Kyuubi imitator was a lot more willing than his counterpart, but he was sealed for only some hours – they couldn't have forged a bond in so short time. Plus, Kakashi's expression and troubled chakra when Kurama took control was too genuine to be faked (why should he fake it?) and rather hard to forget.

Minato thought again about what his student said that faithful day – almost two month ago, now that he had to remember – and Kakashi didn't say anything strange, other than the fact he had a seal. Which was faulted and could release a Kyuubi imitator on Konoha, but none of them knew it.

…Wait. Kakashi _did _say something else before the seal. It was a nightmare from which he couldn't wake up, if Minato wasn't mistaking. Since that day was burned into his mind due to his frantic research for a solution, he was fairly sure he was right.

A genjutsu, maybe? But if the mysterious Fuinjutsu user didn't want Kakashi to wake up, why didn't he use a normal dream, or something relaxing? In favor of this option there was the fact its details were sharper than any other dream's, as the little chuunin reported it.

If Minato knew what the nightmare showed him, he would get a clearer idea about what it was. He regretted not asking for details, but he knew the demon was a more urgent matter at the time. Now that problem was 'solved', since Kushina, the Sandaime and Jiraya-sensei assured him they took every not-invasive procedure, Minato had a lot more time to worry about other things, such as Kakashi's nightmare and the attack against Obito.

He didn't know if this attack was for the best: it endangered greatly Obito, but it led to his team's true cohesion. At the beginning, Kakashi bickered (and often fought) with his teammate, Rin tried to calm them down and Minato, well… he had the patience of a saint.

_'__Then Kakashi didn't show up for training…' _

Stop. He won't go down Memory Lane for no reason, especially about _that_ day.

The blonde sighed noiselessly. If only the Sandaime would let him in, he wouldn't have to spend time with his thoughts… What was so important he couldn't meet him?

"Come in."

He never felt so relieved to hear the Sandaime's voice. Trying to calm down his anger towards the Uchiha Clan, he opened the door and promised himself to get every information he could about Obito's situation.

* * *

**"****Kit, stop."**

Kakashi faltered a little at the voice. He was sweating, sore and frustrated.

The power-control exercise was more difficult than he thought – his chakra was continuously sucked away from his older self (who used most of his reserves at the beginning and, for security reasons, he didn't dare to consume more), Kurama added the same amount of energy every time and the claw was turning a reddish shade of orange.

Around him there were shattered trees, random foliage, broken bark and the whole place was reeking of burnt chakra, making the clearing look like a battlefield.

Kakashi had only enough force to jump on a branch and lie there, listening to the voices in his head.

**"****This went better than I thought." **Kurama stated, ignoring both Kakashis' labored breathing, **"Increasing suddenly the chakra reserves would throw off every normal shinobi, but you still had a decent control over it. Obviously, considering the fact we were helping." **He smirked haughtily and waved his tails. The bijuu didn't even break a sweat during that exercise due to his massive chakra reserves – both Kakashis, instead…

The older one had little above-average reserves because he needed to adapt to the Sharingan, but his mental projection didn't look so good. He put all of his focus on wrapping correctly his chakra around the claw, but he couldn't concentrate only on the control for too much time without having a major headache and, adding chakra exhaustion, older Kakashi was rather tired.

Younger Kakashi had exhausted almost all of his white chakra and controlling his force was something new to him – being the youngest chuunin ever, he had to push himself to his limits to be respected and not cuddled by other chuunins or jonins. Plus, with the war raging on, his opponents would get more powerful with each passing day and he couldn't allow himself to lower his force. Doing it to not attract attention was still a work in progress.

Kurama guessed it was afternoon, but without forcing Kakashi's neck to look at the sky the bijuu couldn't know exactly what time it was.

Both Kakashis were almost sleeping when two chakra signatures entered the Training Ground.

The older one shot to attention immediately, adrenaline already rushing in the bloodstream. "It's him!" 

_'__Him who?'_

**"****That snake!" **Kurama growled angrily, releasing his hate-filled chakra into the coils to fight the 'snake'.

Younger Kakashi wasn't very worried about whoever the newcomer was. If he was an enemy the ANBU would deal with him, why were his 'guests' so tense? He was so exhausted he didn't find the energy to care much about it.

Kurama forced him to roll on the branch and he could see under him…

_'…__a girl?' _He raised a mental eyebrow at the demon and his older self. She looked eight or nine years old and she had spiky violet hair, tied up in a high ponytail. Her eyes were somewhere between amber and light brown, without pupils. Just why were they talking about a 'him'?

"Not her!" Older Kakashi exclaimed indignantly, "Him, Orochimaru!"

A second later, said man walked near the little girl.

Younger Kakashi narrowed his eyes. Alright, Orochimaru-sama didn't look like the most trustworthy person, but why older him and Kurama were ready to fight him? The Sannin may seem suspicious, but he was first and foremost a Konoha shinobi, one of the legendary three! His loyalty was unquestionable, right?

Kurama growled, **"Tsk, that snake will better stay away from us if he cares about his pathetic life!" **His demonic chakra kept rushing inside Kakashi's coils and they started to itch uncomfortably.

The young chuunin wanted them to stop pumping adrenaline and chakra, but they ignored him and remained ready to fight. Their rage almost overwhelmed Younger Kakashi, who still asked himself why they hated the Sannin so much and deemed him as a threat.

Meanwhile, the little girl was surveying the damage with her sensei.

She gaped wordlessly at the shattered trees around her for several seconds before shaking her head and looking at the Snake Sannin. "Should we look around for an enemy, Orochimaru-sensei?"

"It won't be necessary." He stated, feeling the chakra around him.

He narrowed his eyes at the five signatures: four of them were ANBU-level and flickered in worry, but they didn't seem alarmed by the damage. The fifth one, instead, puzzled him: it was like two or three people in the same spot. He prodded the strange signature, feeling how it recoiled and spiked at random intervals. Frowning slightly, he was sure of only one thing – whoever it was, he was alert and almost _eager_ to fight. It was hard, for someone of his caliber, to not feel the bloodlust coming from it.

Orochimaru stretched his chakra deeper to his right, trying to identify the strange signature. Under the Killer Intent he felt a familiar sensation – one that he forgot long ago. It was white chakra, similar to Sakumo's and at the same time different.

What the hell was Sakumo's brat doing there, exuding K.I. at random?

"Kakashi-kun," Orochimaru called, ignoring the angry spike of chakra, "show yourself."

The boy appeared noiselessly some meters on the Sannin's right and both teacher and student could see he was exhausted. There was dirt on his clothes and his breathing was labored, meaning he trained to his limits.

"Orochimaru-sama." He nodded slightly as a greeting. The Snake Sannin was still puzzled by the anger in his bubbling chakra and couldn't figure out why he didn't bow – the little chuunin should know he had to show his respect.

"_You did_ _THIS_?" the girl exclaimed, incredulous, "How did you _destroy_ all these trees?!"

Kakashi remained silent for a moment before he deadpanned, "Training."

"_All by youself_?! What-" "Anko, stop."

The young genin looked at her sensei. Anko had to remember that Orochimaru-sensei didn't like useless talk 'when you could become stronger'. She was assigned to him only a week ago and she sometimes forgot to shut up, especially in strange circumstances.

She fell silent.

"She's my apprentice, Mitarashi Anko." Orochimaru introduced her, seeing Kakashi's frown and misinterpreting it as a silent question about her identity. Actually, the young chuunin was trying to understand why his older self was exuding sadness and guilt, but the Sannin didn't need to know that. The two kids greeted each other and silence fell again.

"I'll leave now, Orochimaru-sama, Anko." Kakashi nodded and started walking away from the duo, not daring to attract more attention by borrowing Kurama's chakra or explaining how he shattered the trees. The faster he got away from them, the better for his mental stability, too – he wasn't sure he could bear his guests' hatred for much more time.

He didn't know why, but feeling Orochimaru's eyes on his back frightened him.

The two shinobi watched Kakashi walk away.

* * *

"Orochimaru-sensei? How did he do this?" Anko asked him, the perfect picture of amazement and curiosity.

The Sannin looked again at the damage, trying to find a logical explanation about it. The area involved – a clearing in the middle of the forest and fifteen meters north-east – closely resembled a battlefield, minus blood and scattered weapons. If Orochimaru had to identify what caused that, he would say Tsunade got drunk again and punched random trees, but it couldn't be. She already left Konoha at the end of the Second Shinobi War, yelling she would never set foot inside the village ever again.

The ANBUs around Kakashi (who, for some reason, followed him) weren't alarmed, meaning there wasn't any threat in the surrounding area. But then why was Kakashi's chakra bubbling in anger and why was he exuding Killer Intent? It was well hidden, yes, but it was there all the same. It felt like he identified him as an enemy.

But why? In his head, Orochimaru could admit he may or may not have broken in into the Kinjutsu section of the library, the one reserved only to Hokage-autorized personnel, but he was sure no one knew about it. He didn't even start experimenting on anything other than enemy corpses or wild animals! Why was Kakashi so tense and angry when Orochimaru stepped in?

The only conclusion the Snake Sannin could reach was that Kakashi was angry about something and he unknowingly exuded Killing Intent, alerting momentarily some ANBU. Then they calmed down and started worrying about Kakashi's condition – they must know about him and his status as a chuunin, thus concerning themselves about his future battle performance.

The boy must have vented his anger against the trees in the Training Ground 46 (which was often avoided and a little far from the village), destroying them and exhausting himself. Orochimaru and Anko entered when Kakashi didn't calm down yet and the ANBU decided to follow him to make sure he didn't snap.

Yeah, that must be it.

"He had energy to spend," the Sannin explained to his apprentice, "and he decided to train and discover what were his limits." Kakashi was known among the jonins to be someone who only trained, making his 'favourite places' the training grounds and allowing whoever had to search him to start there.

"Like we should do now, Anko. We're at war and every shinobi counts." Orochimaru shifted into an attacking stance, signaling the talk ended.

The girl nodded and dropped into a defensive stance.

* * *

"…and then Kakashi, Rin, Obito and Sarune-san reported me what I just said to you."

Minato was speechless after hearing the Sandaime's words. At first he was shocked he didn't notice all of that and that Obito didn't say anything about the Clan's behavior. Then he felt his anger building up each time he thought about the Uchiha Elders' comments of the mission near Kumo's border, kindly reported by Kakashi word by word.

The blonde was sure the Clan Head had a lot of things to explain the next time they saw each other.

Preferably something involving chainsaws, torture devices, Uchiha blood and lots of gore…

"Minato," the Hokage interrupted his murderous thoughts, "I already talked to Shiryu-san about this and he agreed to not pressure Obito and stop future attacks on him." A talk that may or may not have involved the God of Shinobi's infamous Battle Glare, alarmed ANBUs and terrified Uchiha Elders, but that wasn't important.

"Sarune-san volunteered to place some traps in Obito's apartment for security reasons, as you have already seen."

Minato nodded. "Hai... about that, I removed most of them and placed some seals. They'll send a pulse of chakra to Obito whenever someone enters in the apartment and set off a throwing seal full of kunai, shuriken or senbon…" He trailed off and scratched behind his head, seeing the Sandaime's half unimpressed and half amused expression.

At the end of an epic internal struggle, the Hokage chuckled. "It's good you always find new ways to train your Fuinjutsu ability, I'll give you that." The older man suddenly turned serious. "But I would appreciate if you don't try to murder any Uchihas – with the war still going on, internal conflict could lead to our defeat."

The jonin nodded and stated he would obey. Silence fell on both of them for some seconds before Minato decided to break it.

"Hokage-sama… I think someone used a genjutsu on Kakashi during the sealing."

The Sandaime sighed. "Why do you say it now, two months after that?"

Minato lowered his gaze to the floor. "I… forgot to mention it. Please forgive me, Hokage-sama…" he felt ashamed of his slip in focus and the fact he forgot to report it for two months, and the older man could clearly see that. He knew the blonde feared he might have harmed his student with his mistake, and that would be the worst punishment a jonin sensei could receive.

"Do you know what type of genjutsu it was?"

Minato shook his head and his gaze hesitantly left the floor.

Hiruzen really wanted to just light his pipe and don't have to worry about all of that. _'At least,'_ he mused, _'we discovered either the Fuinjutsu user can perform high-level genjutsus or he wasn't alone that time.' _

He frowned. Someone who could perform high-level genjutsus (ones strong enough to become unrecognizable and unbreakable by a chuunin), working together with a talented Fuinjutsu user and able to avoid capture? One that could erase _all traces_ of his presence, so much not even the ANBUs thought about a second person?

The strongest genjutsus-user Clan, bitter at Kakashi because of Sakumo's failed mission and ready to do anything to make Konohagakure no Sato raise above everyone else? The Clan whose powerful eyes could control the demons?

The most mysterious and enigmatic bijuu sealing in hundreds of years?

The Sandaime remembered clearly how much he racked his brain to understand who could do the sealing and for what reasons, but he just couldn't find head nor tail for the mystery.

If the culprit was an enemy aiming to destroy Konoha, the Kyuubi imitator's mere creation and its will to work together didn't add up. If it wasn't an enemy but someone within Konoha to make it stronger, the fact no one noticed and that seal's creation weren't explained. If the reason was to free themselves of a tailed beast, _everything_ didn't add up – why Kakashi was the target, why no one heard of a Kyuubi imitator, why no one tried asking formally for help to a Hidden Village…

But if they didn't know what genjutsu was used, they couldn't prove if an Uchiha has been there. The Hokage dearly hoped they weren't involved.

* * *

_'__Why the hell did you do that?!' _

Younger Kakashi found another spot to rest, somewhere between the Training Ground 46 and 45. He started scratching his arms when the itching of Kurama's demonic chakra became unbearable and he glared at his guests.

They were future him and 'the wisest of all the bijuus', why couldn't they remain calm when Orochimaru appeared?

"Orochimaru can't be trusted." Older Kakashi spat bitterly, "He became a nukenin and a major pain in the ass for all my ANBU years onwards."

The younger one felt his eyes widen. _'A nukenin?!' _

"Yeah. His quest to master every jutsu in the world brought him to experiment on whoever was in his grasp, found another village to cover his horrible experiments," the man continued listing Orochimaru's crimes, "seek vengeance against Konoha, lead an invasion-"

_'__Wait, wait, wait! An invasion against Konoha?!' _Younger Kakashi didn't know how bleak the future would become if they didn't do something. One of the _Sannin_ would found another village, experiment on people and invade the same village he swore his loyalty to? What else would happen?!

**"****That he did." **Kurama confirmed, fortunately calmer than before, **"During the invasion, the future Rokudaime had to fight against my supposed brother Shukaku… you may know him as the Ichibi." **He added the last part after feeling Younger Kakashi's confusion. The boy remained silent.

_'…__what can we do to stop it?' _There was no way his older self would let this history repeat itself.

"We have different options, but we need to plan carefully when and how interfere." He started to create a mental timeline, listing the events from their present onwards. The younger Hatake closed his eyes and entered in his mindscrape, trusting the ANBUs to look after him and his senses to alert him in time.

"The main event we can change is Obito's death, two years from now." The man pointed to the first point on the timeline. "If we change this, almost every other event would be erased and we wouldn't have to worry about them."

Several points lit up and Younger Kakashi read them – Kyuubi Attack (Kurama shrugged at his raised eyebrow), the Uchiha massacre, Kiri's bloodline purge and civil war, rising of the Akatsuki, bijuu hunt, Pein's invasion, Allied Shinobi Forces and Fourth Shinobi War.

_'…__Stopping Obito's death would erase all these events? You've got to be kidding me.' _Younger Kakashi raised an unimpressed eyebrow at the time-travellers. How could that idiot's death cause all of that? It was a wonder Obito was still alive, never mind cause the Fourth Shinobi War!

**"****It would." **Kurama wasn't phased in the slightest about the impossibility of that bullshit. But, since one of the points was the 'Kyuubi Attack', there must be a chance that he was saying the truth, however moot it might be.

"But," Older Kakashi continued, "If we stop Obito's death, almost all of our foreknowledge will be useless. A lot of trouble would be avoided, but there are downsides too: the Rokudaime wouldn't become Kurama's Jinchuuriki and the Allied Shinobi Forces might never come together again."

_'__What do you mean Allied Shinobi Forces?' _

"Maa… it's the army of the five allied elemental countries. It's kinda an important step to achieve peace."

_…__What?_

All the five elemental countries… working _together_? _Allied_? Younger Kakashi's brain turned to mush at the impossible idea. They were fighting the Third Shinobi War, a 'free-for-all' of sorts, a power game between countries to expand their territory and influence over the world… and they will come together under the same command?

Younger Kakashi looked at the date under 'Allied Shinobi Forces' and his jaw almost dropped. Twenty years from their time, sixteen years after the Kyuubi attack, four years after Orochimaru's invasion and a month after the beginning of the Fourth Shinobi War.

…well, wasn't that informing.

**"****We'll have a lot of work to do with our kill-list as well." **Kurama stated, creating a very long list of names in order of importance. **"Our first target is Uchiha Madara," **he growled hatefully, **"then there are Black Zetsu, Kabuto, Orochimaru, the members of the Akatsuki…" **

Older Kakashi coughed. "Well, not everyone of the Akatsuki is to kill." Before Kurama could reply, he continued, "I agree people like Hidan must be killed, but Nagato, Konan and reasonable people can be our allies under the right circumstances."

Younger Kakashi didn't have the slightest idea about who these people were, much less what the Akatsuki was. He was still gaping at the list, which seemed to have every shinobi in the world on it. It was worrisome knowing Kurama could very easily intend to kill everyone on the list.

The bijuu was going to say something when he suddenly stopped, looked around and narrowed his blood-red eyes.

**"****Kit, there's someone else near us."**

* * *

**Finally an UPDATE! :D**

**And it's 9 pages long! It introduces some new things, leaves doubts for everyone, possibilities and yadda yadda. A cliffhanger to make you guess who is nearing our internally-arguing!Kakashi! Place your bets and please review! **

**More reviews = more happiness for me = more updates! :D **

**Beware of the Kitsune's rage! **

**Shiiroi Kitsune21 **


	19. Chapter 18: Uncertain fate

**Congratulations to darkangelwp who guessed the people nearing Kakashi at the second try! Here, grab Gaara's cookie before he skewers me with his sand :D**

***cough* Onto the answer to Guest: Minato had a more important problem, so yeah, he might remember about the swearing later. About Rin… hanging around Kakashi, Obito and Minato will include her into several situations, but I won't say more ;)**

**Thanks to Prescripto13, DoctorKnight, buterflypuss and another Guest too for reviewing and giving free happiness to me!**

**Beta'd by boomvroomshroom! :D **

**Disclaimer: again, I don't own Naruto. Just to remind you.**

* * *

_Chapter 18: Uncertain fate_

"I tell you, it's the truth!"

Daichi scoffed. "Demonic chakra? Inside the Hatake brat? Yeah, right…"

Yurumo was furious. He _knew_ what he saw with the Sharingan, damn it! That brat's chakra was _definitely _not normal – an entire chunk of it acted like it was another sentient being, for Kami's sake! What type of spiritual energy flickered in anger? The Sharingan couldn't be deceived even by the highest genjutsu masters; it was impossible a ten-year-old chuunin could mislead him!

"Didn't you see how his chakra moved?" Yurumo insisted, "That brat wasn't controlling all of his chakra! There was something else that did!"

"It's impossible," Daichi rebutted flatly, "and you know it. There are only nine bijuu – Konoha, Suna and Taki have one each, Kumo, Mizu and Iwa have two each. There isn't a tenth one." He kept his voice emotionless, but he couldn't help sneering Kumo and Iwa's names.

Yurumo clenched his fists and glared at his companion. That logic couldn't be faulted, but he knew what he saw with the Sharingan!

They continued walking around the Training Grounds to patrol Konoha's surroundings. Shiryu-sama ordered them to make sure no one was trying to infiltrate the village and to alert others if they caught sight of someone suspicious – but who could defeat two powerful Uchiha without anyone noticing?

Normally, they would have basked in each other's silence, but Yurumo couldn't get the Hatake brat out of his head. Two weeks ago, when they faced him, Yurumo could have sworn young Kakashi was exuding Killer Intent while his chakra moved in three different directions.

Which shouldn't have been possible, because no one used it consciously at the age of ten, not even prodigies.

* * *

"If they activate their Sharingan, they'll discover us."

'Thanks, Captain Obvious.'

**"No shit, Sherlock."**

Kakashi was hiding behind a tree and Kurama was suppressing their chakra – both Hatakes were too tired from the training earlier to do it and only their adrenaline and the bijuu's energy were keeping them standing.

The two Uchihas who were arguing were the same ones he faced when Obito was attacked – and the topic of their conversation wasn't a good sign.

Did they really give so much away? Did the Sharingan really tell apart Kakashi's chakra flow from Kurama's? Did they underestimate the Uchiha Clan all along?

Older Kakashi seemed to have the answer. "We won't be the ones who will contradict him." Let them think about it – at worst, they'll go to the Hokage and receive a negative reply. Only one of the Uchihas suspected there was a bijuu, but not even his companion listened to him.

The other two agreed and waited until the police patrol couldn't hear them go away.

**"Since your chakra won't replenish completely till tomorrow – yes, my energy can do that too – we should go to your apartment,"** Kurama lazily suggested and, when neither Hatakes argued, the bijuu put a little of his chakra to ease a little the fatigue on his host's body.

Really, humans had ridiculously low reserves.

* * *

Oonoki still didn't get it. Just why was the Raikage so hell bent on getting the Hatake brat?

Whatever the reason was, the chance to arrange a double attack on Hi no Kuni was the best Iwa would get from Kumo – they were both at war against Konoha, it wasn't time to be picky about who helped. Not unless it was obvious they couldn't be trusted.

Iwa had the number advantage on Konoha, but the latter had pretty strong shinobi – the Toad Sage, the Snake Sannin, the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki…

And that _Yellow Flash_!

The Tsuchikage grunted sulkily. That man was literally a one-man-army and foiled a lot of attacks with his speed and quick thinking – hell, the blonde had a page in the Bingo Book since his first debut as the fastest man ever! Oonoki remembered it like it was yesterday.

He had actually hoped that, after the White Fang and the Slug Princess's demises (although she wasn't dead yet), Iwa could gain the upper hand and _finally_ put an end to Konoha's influence over the world. Iwa already lost two wars; they couldn't lose the third one too, right?

_Wrong_, because the tree huggers had another legendary shinobi up their sleeves – the Yellow Flash.

Their regular forces weren't even that good. It was just that they constantly depended on these living legends - whom they pumped out just as often as the Mist pumped out those pesky swordsmen.

Oonoki wanted so badly to just return in his prime and tear apart that damned man, molecule by molecule. It was such a shame no one else could use the Jinton, really.

However, returning to his duties… the Tsuchikage searched the letter for the hundredth time for any kind of trick the Raikage might have written. The information about Kumo's troops' locations weren't faked – his spies had reported otherwise – and neither were the ones on Konoha's divisions. The Raikage was offering a lot – trading contracts, passage routes, how to split up Hi no Kuni's territory, and so on after winning the war.

The only condition out of place was the immediate handing of the Hatake brat.

...however, Oonoki supposed he could understand the Raikage's need for revenge – who hadn't heard about the Slaughter of Shimo?

During the Second Shinobi World War, the White Fang had wiped out an entire Kumo platoon (all by himself, it was said) and caused Kumo's attack to fail miserably. Because of that, the Raikage had to surrender shortly after and Konoha could focus on Kiri and Iwa, ultimately winning the war.

They weren't good times, but now Oonoki had the chance to win. He didn't care much about the Hatake brat, as the Yellow Flash's head was much more appealing.

The Sandaime Tsuchikage wouldn't let the tree huggers win the Third Shinobi War!

* * *

Jiraya was left with a sour taste in his mouth. And no, it wasn't cheap sake.

That evening he went drinking at the 'Sukai no Hana' that, despite the name, was actually a bar in which many tired shinobi drank sake. Some ninjas chose the bar as a meeting spot, while others decided to drink there all together when a mission was successfully completed.

Another batch of shinobi just liked to sit there and drink, mostly alone.

Jiraiya was one of the last group – the sake was good for his nerves, especially right after a grueling period on the frontlines or long-term missions. It was one of his favourite places to relax.

Then Orochimaru sat in front of him.

After saying that _no_, it wasn't his intention to spit sake on his teammate's face, Jiraya asked the one-million-ryo question - what was Orochimaru doing here?

Snake face looked around and narrowed his eyes (noticing with hidden glee that almost no one caught sight of him) before answering with a question of his own.

"Did your brat say anything about the Hatake?"

"No, he didn't." _If a bijuu sealed into his grand-student counted as nothing._ "Why do you ask?"

Orochimaru seemed to quickly debate whether he should answer truthfully or not.

"Today," he started replying, "I went to the Training Ground 46 – finding a part of it destroyed. I suspect Kakashi did it out of anger and I'm… concerned," he utterly ignored Jiraya's flabbergasted look, "that something might be wrong. It wouldn't do to have an unstable shinobi among us."

…well. If Orochimaru put it like _that_, then he _had_ a reason to ask about Kakashi. Not being able to trust your comrades was awful at best and lethal at worse. And Jiraya had to create a plausible lie _ASAP_ because, for all he trusted his teammate, Orochimaru didn't have the clearance to know about the Kyuubi imitator (_yet_) and he couldn't be fooled with a normal lie.

"I'm not his babysitter and I don't know everything that happens to him," _but I need to, because the bijuu inside him could go on a rampage on a whim._ "so I don't have any idea about that." _But I have a furry hunch that I can't reveal you._

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. "He was trying to hide _Killer Intent_, Jiraya. He clearly regarded me as an enemy and I want to know for sure he won't be a hindrance on the battlefield."

_Kakashi was trying to hide K.I.?_ Jiraya couldn't help but blink surprised at his friend. He didn't doubt Orochimaru's abilities, but Killer Intent couldn't be controlled at the age of, much less hidden! It must have been the Kyuubi imitator, but he couldn't know about it.

"Well, Kakashi _is_ a genius."

"I started using K.I. consciously only at fourteen, and I took until fifteen to hide it." Orochimaru scoffed, "He can't possibly be _that_ skilled; we would have noticed before."

"…it can be something else, you know, like a Kekkei Genkai." That would distract his teammate, Jiraya knew. He didn't know, however, if that sudden obsession with bloodline limits and jutsus was really that good in the long run.

Orochimaru seemed to ponder a little about it, accepting the suggestion. The Toad Sage stared at his face like the answers about Orochimaru's sudden questions were written there and waited for his friend to speak up.

"Did you know Kakashi's chakra increased?"

"It did?" it took all of Jiraya's will to not falter and sweat. Orochimaru was already digging for the truth!

Orochimaru nodded minutely. "His chakra level is higher and it spiked and recoiled at random intervals, like he didn't know what to do – fight, hide or run. It could be dangerous if he had to take that decision on the battlefield and his chakra flow was this irregular."

Jiraya frowned. He was actually _very worried_ about Orochimaru's undeniable reasons to pry into Kakashi's business – when Snake face felt the need to give away his motives without prompting, he was in 'search-find-report' mode. And it was never a good thing.

After saying he didn't know anything about this and maybe if he talked to Sensei he might know more, Orochimaru finally left Jiraya in the 'Sukai no Hana'.

This… wasn't good.

Sure, Orochimaru could be trusted everyday with everything, but this wasn't the time to let him know, not yet. The only people who knew about Kakashi's Jinchuuriki status (other than the kid, of course) were the Hokage, Minato, Jiraya, the four ANBU guards –Hound, Cat, Owl, Boar-, Hikari of the Sensor Unit, Commander Kitsune, Danzo, Homura, Koharu and Kushina.

…it was a lot of people to let into an S-ranked secret, actually. But the possibility of an attack and the need to catch the mysterious sealer was greater than ever and the Hokage had to involve more people – all in order to act fast.

Everyone on that 'list' was trusted: everybody was a jonin of Konoha who swore loyalty to the Hokage, and they had their reasons, as well. Minato wouldn't let any harm fall on his students, Jiraya cared about Minato and his brats, Kushina did the same with even more fierceness, Hikari was entrusted with the sensor barrier around the whole village, Kitsune was the ANBU's Head (easily regarded as the Hokage's right hand man), Team Hound was hand-picked by the Sandaime and the Elders were Hiruzen's teammates.

Everyone had means to help in their own way: Jiraya with his sealing (who would soon be joined by Minato, who in the meantime kept an eye out for threats), Team Hound guarded Kakashi almost 24/7, Hikari continued checking the barrier, Kitsune alerted the Shinobi Forces of 'a powerful fuinjutsu user who avoided capture', the Elders formed plans with the Hokage and Kushina knew a lot more about Jinchuurikis (being one herself).

Orochimaru didn't have motives – other than his 'worry' for Kakashi's battle performance – to be allowed to know the secret. He was regarded as a genius, yes, but so were Minato and Sensei.

But how to stop Orochimaru, now that he was determined to find out the truth?

* * *

_"Kakashi, don't you see it?"_

'See what?' the young chuunin wanted to ask at the mysterious voice, but his lips didn't want to cooperate and he remained silent.

_"There's nothing in my heart!"_

The image shifted from pitch-black darkness to a strange 'land' – if that could be considered as such – made of cubes and a starless sky. There was a man in front of him, one that Kakashi felt he should recognize. His gloved hands pointed his ribcage – his pierced ribcage, his mind helpfully added.

_"This world has nothing for me anymore, Kakashi! Nothing for any of us!" the scarred man offered his hand. "I want to create a new world, one without hatred, revenge and wars – take my hand, and we'll complete this goal together."_

The stranger's name continued to be out of Kakashi's reach. Just what did he remind him of? And why was the man talking about 'creating a new world'?

_A young Obito and Rin appeared at his sides. They were smiling and they looked so happy-_

_"No!"_

_The light of a raiton jutsu dispelled the two illusions and Kakashi heard someone else talking._

_"Do you think that's what she dreamed of?" the voice demanded, on the verge of desperation, "Do you think all of… of this is what you want? This is Madara's doing!"_

Kakashi felt like he should recognize the voice, too. Why did it sound so familiar? Who was 'she' and wasn't Madara one of the founders of Konoha?

_The light of the lightning jutsu rose until Kakashi couldn't see anything and it died just as suddenly. Everything became pitch black and he could feel something heavy settle on his chest, slowly crushing his ribcage._

_"Kakashi…"_

_He turned around at the whisper. Who needed him?_

_"Kakashi…"_

_Now, if someone needed his help he should at least come out of those shadows. Was it so difficult to leave the darkness, or be clearer with the question?_

_"Kakashi…"_

_He felt something crawl near his feet and he stepped back out of reflex. It was getting rather creepy, why wasn't there any light?_

_"GIVE IT BACK!"_

That 'something' jumped out of the darkness and pounced on his chest, making him stumble and fall on the cold ground. Much to his horror, he found out he couldn't move his limbs – like that something severed his connection to his body.

He couldn't see clearly the creature on his chest, but his right eye glowed an angry red, the one that screamed 'I will bathe in your blood and I will enjoy it'. The thing had sharp claws that dug into Kakashi's vest and they could rip his very soul to shreds, he was sure.

_The claws took the hitai-ate from his forehead and threw it away in the darkness._

_"GIVE ME WHAT'S MINE!"_

Young Kakashi was scared shitless – what was this nightmare? What was happening?! He tried to pull his chakra, hoping to disrupt whatever genjutsu he might be in – no such luck.

_The clawed hand neared his left eye and Kakashi flinched when it drew blood._

_The creature smirked, showing his sharp fangs and licking them with an abnormally long tongue. His expression was most probably smug and completely insane, and Kakashi couldn't help but watch with morbid fascination how the red right eye gleamed evilly._

_"YOU TOOK MY EYE!"_

_Before Kakashi could ponder on that last statement, he felt a sharp pain as his left eye was ripped out._

**OoO**

Kakashi woke up screaming.

He stumbled out of his blanket and hit the floor under him. He immediately felt his eyes become moist with tears and he reached his bathroom as fast as his body allowed him, frantically reaching for the sink.

His breathing was swallow and he couldn't stop his limbs from trembling, especially his hands. He could feel his heart beating madly in his chest, like it was ready to burst and give out on him. Kakashi looked at his right hand and, even using all his will to stop its trembling, he found out he couldn't do much.

His left eye pulsed in a really uncomfortable way and Kakashi wanted nothing else but to scratch the feeling away, but he couldn't – his frantic scratching only hurt his skin and the strange pulse stubbornly remained in his eye. He had the same itching on his heart, too, and Kakashi could almost feel the… creature over his chest, hissing and ripping his eye out.

Through a lot of (combined) effort and breathing exercises, Younger Kakashi stopped most of his limbs' trembling and he sat on his bed again.

_'What… what was that… thing?'_

**"No human ever travelled backwards in time, so I'm not sure about what is the real cause of that. I do have a hunch, though."** Kurama stated, briefly gathering his thoughts. The two Hatakes waited for the bijuu to explain.

**"The most likely guess is that your memories' merging isn't complete and both your minds need time to adjust. Since you share the same body, your spiritual energy is the only thing that separates you – and even that is almost the same, so there's a very thin line between you two."** Both Kakashis looked uncomfortably at each other at Kurama's words.

**"The nightmares,"** he continued, **"could be an indication of the merging's progress. The more vivid they are, the more your memories merged. When you are awake and the mental barriers are stronger, the process continues very slowly – you don't feel it because you're the ones involved, but I do, and it's there."**

The bijuu paused to let everything sink in. He knew he wouldn't get interrupted until he explained the final part. **"During your sleep, instead, the mental barriers are lowered, ever so slightly. It's something the Yamanaka took advantage of, too, putting their victims to sleep and entering their mind. In your case, Older Kakashi's spiritual energy – with all its memories – can sneak through the barriers and tries to merge."**

**"The process makes itself known under the form of dreams, showing you what memory was added into your mind."** Kurama almost sighed at the aghast look on both Hatakes. **"The ones holding stronger emotions are the first to merge – so it isn't a surprise you have nightmares. The most emotional memories are always about someone's death, ne?"**

Older Kakashi nodded and didn't meet his younger self's curious eyes. He could admit every death hit him like a rasenshuriken barrage, but he didn't want Chibi him to know about the _true_ extension of the damage yet.

Part one done, now for the hard one.

**"I don't know exactly how it will end,"** Kurama spoke up again, regaining both their attention. **"but there are three outcomes."** He held up his paw with three claws raised.

**"First one: one of you dies."** Deathly silence greeted his ears. **"At the end of the merging process, one of you will 'absorb' the other. There are three main factors playing into this outcome: your spiritual energy's levels at the final moment, the Timeline's stubbornness and my own chakra. For example, if Older Kakashi's spiritual energy remains higher than yours, you should be absorbed." **Younger Kakashi gulped and mentally sweated.

**"If, however, the fact he shouldn't be there weighs more than the spiritual levels, than it would be you absorbing him." **This time it was Older Kakashi who sweated bullets. **"I could try to change the ending with my chakra, thus favoring one of you."**

**"Second outcome: neither of you prevails on the other, so no one gets absorbed. What remains is a mix of your personalities with all your memories, which is you and at the same time it isn't."** Kurama smirked at the suspicious expression on both Kakashis. **"Obviously, results may change when the factors I said before are put into play."**

**"Third outcome: neither of you dies. It's the best case scenario, in which the memories merge without drawbacks on any of you."** Kurama lowered his paw and rested his head on it. **"Being the best case, it's very unlikely there won't be downsides and the first two outcomes have more possibilities to happen."**

That was… unexpected. The prospect of dying didn't bode well within Younger Kakashi – he didn't even live for eleven years and he already had a death sentence hanging over him. And it wasn't like a _normal_ threat, no! It was his time-travelling future self, who lived a really hard life filled with death.

But wasn't that the path he chose?

"This… merging process," Older Kakashi started his question, "can I stop it by restraining my spiritual energy?"

The bijuu shook his head**. "No, you can't. Like I said, the process continues all the same, whether you're awake or not. You can slow it, of course, but not even I know about the consequences of opposing more to the Timeline."**

'And I don't want to find out' went unspoken, but they could feel it. Whatever 'opposing to the Timeline' meant, it didn't sound good for any of them. Ignorance was bliss, but knowing could save lives – so Younger Kakashi asked.

_'What do you mean by 'opposing more to the Timeline'?'_

**"…It's complicated, but I guess I can explain this, too."** Kurama sighed and grumbled under his breath before speaking again. **"Imagine the Timeline like a river with walls on each side. Our objective is to change the river's course and make it flow outside the walls, hopefully guiding it to the sea and not into some dangerous place."**

**"As you can imagine, the walls will oppose resistance, trying to stop us from changing the river's course. The more we push, the more the walls try to repel us – in short, the Timeline tries to remain as it is even under our pressure. If we don't change anything major, it will mainly ignore us."** Kurama suddenly narrowed his eyes.

**"If we _do _change major events, instead, it's highly probable the Timeline will try to limit the damage – like forcing another event to happen and trigger what we wanted to avoid, or trying to kill us through events that didn't happen before, thus we can't predict."** The bijuu didn't need to remind both Kakashis that what he was saying could be false – being shinobis, every hypothesis needed to be considered and Kurama's were the most probable. Being a demon sure helped to expand one's knowledge.

The mindscrape was utterly silent after that.

"So we need to be sure that what we change remains… changed," Older Kakashi summed up, "and prepare for the worst case scenario, even if it's for a mission we know the normal outcome of."

Shinobi should always be ready, they all knew that, but then their foreknowledge was extremely limited. Outside of the main events, everything could happen to them – or worse, to whoever is around them. Minato-sensei, Kushina, Obito, Rin, Sandaime, Jiraya… they could all die prematurely because of Older Kakashi's mere presence.

If he had a body, his guts would clench painfully. Trying to save his precious people when his presence could cause their deaths was a rather ironic twist of fate, wasn't it? Like destiny kept denying him the normal happy ending many people obtained at their first try.

Kurama nodded seriously. **"Many events will still happen the same way but, as we change the Timeline, its course will become erratic and…"** the demon trailed off and scratched his head. **"…actually, I don't know what would happen after that. Probably something bad for us."**

Both Hatakes stared at him, utterly unimpressed. What was the point of trying to change the future if it could cause even more trouble?

Younger Kakashi really wished he wasn't the one involved in this. He had Kurama sealed in his gut, a death sentence hanging over him because of his older self's presence, the burden of knowing snippets of the future (the Uchiha Clan's slaughter, everyone's death, the Allied Shinobi Forces, Orochimaru's trachery…), the impossibility of revealing any of it and constant nightmares, which were actually the darkest parts of his bleak future.

Thinking about nightmares, what the heck was that creature? And who was trying to create a new world?

_'…so, what memory was that?' _Younger Kakashi eventually asked.

"The first part was when I faced the one who declared the Fourth Shinobi War," was the older one's answer, "the last is, well… a rather recurrent nightmare I had after the mission in which Obito… died."

Younger Kakashi raised a concerned eyebrow. _'It was recurrent?'_ he couldn't help but shiver a little. Feeling his left eye being ripped out and that strange monster on his chest was something he didn't want to experience ever again, thank you very much.

At his older self's 'yes' he had to ask why it was. Kakashi saw a lot of people dying, but it never affected his nightmares this much.

Older Kakashi debated whether he should reveal it or not. He absently tapped his slanted forehead protector, under which he knew there was the Sharingan – or, at least, the reminder. The eye still looked like a Sharingan, but he didn't think it could work like one.

After glancing at Kurama's nod, he pushed up the headband, revealing the deep scar over the left eye. He ignored his younger self's gasp of surprise (knowing he had a more worrisome reason to be surprised) and he opened the Sharingan-looking eye.

* * *

"Kakashi-kun?"

Silence.

"Kakashi-kun, are you in there? It's me, Rin." The girl raised a little her voice, now concerned. Her teammate was always one to answer immediately, what was he doing?

Rin knocked again on the door and waited a few seconds, only to receive the same eerie silence. She frowned and continued talking, just in case he didn't want to open the door.

"I'm going to Obito's home with some food, wouldn't you like to come with me?"

Before the mysterious 'poisoning', Rin wouldn't have the guts to ask Kakashi something like that – she would have fainted even before speaking. Only now, after Obito's predicament with the Uchihas and Kakashi's probably-near-death-experience, Rin gathered enough courage to ask.

It wasn't a date, per se – it was more like a team gathering, just without Minato. She asked for him to come too, but he and Kushina were dating and they were…busy. However, the blonde prompted Rin to invite Kakashi and he gave her his address, smiling and saying he was sorry he couldn't come.

He looked quite eager –almost too much- to get his students together, but it wasn't be because he knew, right? Kakashi certainly didn't say anything, Rin was sure she didn't and Obito… well, he might have. Secrets were never safe in his hands, it seemed.

Kakashi still didn't answer, but Rin wasn't accepting a 'no' as an answer – not today.

"Kakashi!" she yelled, knocking again on the door, "Do you want to come or not?! If you're training _now_, I _will_ drag you to the Hospital, whether you want it or not! You know it's not healthy to train this late!"

The door swung open and Rin's hand stopped over Kakashi's still covered face.

"Don't shout." He deadpanned, utterly ignoring the girl's embarrassed blush. "And yes, I'm coming. Just let me get my things." He closed the door again.

Rin slowly lowered her hand and blushed again. Kakashi… was wearing… a sleeveless top… and… boxers… with _puppies_ on it…

She shook her head. No Rin, don't think such things… stop. She gripped tighter her bag, containing some vegetables, meat and recipes for properly grilled fish, miso soup and potato stew. Not having time to prepare the food beforehand, Rin bought the ingredients along the way – she knew Obito didn't have any kind of vegetable in his home. Or anything really healthy, for that matter.

Rin had already seen the poor conditions of Obito's refrigerator, and she had not been impressed. While Obito had tried to save his dignity, she vowed to check on him and his home every now and then. What she hadn't mentioned, however, was that she would prepare dinner in his kitchen, and not only for him.

* * *

**Ta dah! :D**

**The creature of the nightmare was a mix of Evil!Kyuubi-fied Naruto (sharp fangs and claws), older Obito (red right eye) and Orochimaru (abnormally long tongue). Pretty messed up, uh? He didn't specify who the man and the creature were because he didn't want to.**

**I hope the explanation of time-travel's hypothesis wasn't too confusing! :D If it was, then just ask me or review. I'll either edit this Chapter or answer in the next one. Just check every now and then ;) Still, uh, Younger Kakashi doesn't know it was Kurama who did the Jikan no Fujin, so he didn't think 'time-travel', but 'changing the future'.**

**Oonoki is ready to send troops! Orochimaru is suspecting something! Kakashis' lives are on thin thread! Kurama explains! Rin is on the move! Shimo is Frost! :O**

**However. This is actually important: I have the outline of the plot, but I didn't decide the end of each character yet. So I'm asking you to decide Kakashis' future. Review/PM to say if you want:**

**-both Kakashis survive**

**-Older Kakashi survives**

**-Younger Kakashi survives**

**Really, that's important. Whoever wants to review/PM me, choose one of the options.**

**Remember, whoever chooses Kakashi's future will get cookies and the Icha Icha series! :D**

**Beware of the Kitsune's rage!**

**Shiiroi Kitsune**


	20. Chapter 19: Relapse

**As the population decrees, both Kakashis shall LIVE with the power of youth! :D How they will survive, ehehe… wait to find out!**

**Let's START the never-ending row of thanks to: buterflypuss, Mangekyofan, DoctorKnight, Yungsun, Lady Inulzayoi, sugar hussain, Guest, Angie, Tegz, Gyoza101, Sailor Pandabear, subzerodx, Dync, Rose of The Wind1, Guest, Guest, Becc, BlueFox, Yip, Bluefox, cloystreng, juman1994, Bindi-fox, yup and last but not least NarutoxHonoka!**

**Becc: yes, I've read the first ten or so Chapters of Lanterns in the Dark, so I know roughly what happened. :D**

**NarutoxHonoka: I purposefully made Orochimaru less evil because he didn't become such BEFORE Minato was nominated Yondaime. So I put only some interest in jutsu-Kekkei Genkai researches. Thank you for showering me with praises *bows and takes roses* ;3**

**BlueFox: uh… since Kurama and Older Kakashi landed in a 'branch' of their timeline, Past-Kyuubi and Kurama are both males.**

**Yip: shouldn't they get some advice from Orochimaru to create a twin? Chakra can do clones, but permanently solid twins? That is a little difficult, since they can't use every drop of chakra the two Kyuubi have. Everyone would discover if another Hatake suddenly popped out of nowhere, don't you think? ;)**

**I can't answer personally to each one, but I shall try my best to finish this story! YOSH! **

**Beta'd by boomvroomshroom! :D **

* * *

**Chapter 19: Relapse**

"The time is nigh, Mabui."

The woman straightened at the Raikage's words. It was obvious what he was referring to. "Raikage-sama."

"Send A and Bee to help the Divisions," the Sandaime Raikage ordered, putting down the Tsuchikage's letter, "and tell them our chances to win the war just increased."

* * *

Rin supposed she should have expected Kakashi to wear show up shinobi clothes and gear.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Uh, Kakashi-kun… Obito's home isn't _that _dangerous."

"Shinobi Rule 3: always be prepared," he cited, shrugging. "You know that a fight can break out everywhere."

Rin tried to come up with an argument, but she didn't have any and sighed. "Point." Obito had been attacked inside a Training Ground, and Kakashi had been poisoned within his own home. To be honest, she was surprised that Kakashi wasn't worse than borderline paranoid at this point.

They started walking in comfortable silence through Konoha's busy streets. Even with the war still going on, the village was still as animated as ever – restaurants and bars were full of people (mostly civilians), and the streets were teeming with couples on dates and whoever was RUNNING his last errands, hoping to get a day off. Lanterns were hanging all over the roads and their soft light was almost unnoticeable near the restaurants, where the neon lights reigned supreme.

Rin glanced around her with a smile on her lips. She loved seeing Konoha so lively and busy, like the war couldn't touch this piece of heaven. It was too early for drunks to appear and everyone was enjoying their friends or lovers' company.

There were very few people going around in shinobi gear, but the ones that Rin noticed were all injured one way or another. Someone had his arm in a cast, another walked with crutches, and various people had bandages covering their arms or legs or torso… It was the only thing that reminded her of the war, but it didn't stop her from enjoying the peaceful atmosphere.

She glanced at Kakashi, who was walking on her right. He was looking ahead, an almost bored expression on his (still covered) face. Conversely, his entire body was tense, and he looked ready to start fighting and giving orders to everyone in the street – whether they wanted it or not. The cool-headed leader everyone could trust, like always.

...And he was looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

Realizing she had been caught staring, Rin blushed and tried to look anywhere but at him.

"Is he that brat?"

"Yeah, the Hatake."

"He's still a shinobi? The Hokage should KNOW better than trust him."

"After what happened with _him_…"

The more Rin and Kakashi walked through the streets, the more people whispered to themselves and looked at them – or rather, at him. Rin frowned and couldn't help but ask herself why they were so mean to Kakashi. He was completely dedicated to training, missions, and getting stronger, so why shouldn't the Hokage trust him? Was that only a matter of age? Why were they even saying it?

She glanced again at her teammate and noticed – something obtained only through a lot of love-struck staring – that his shoulders were tenser as his dark eyes scanned through the crowd and stopped briefly over the ones who glared. Sometimes his gaze settled on the roofs, where Rin could see only darkness. Why was Kakashi looking up there?

She bit her lip and took a step forward. _Anything_ to get Kakashi away from those venomous whispers.

Rin stopped in front of her teammate and grasped his hand, much to his surprise. He didn't retract the limb yet, so the girl started dragging him in the middle of the crowd.

"We're going to be late, Kakashi-kun!" she stage-whispered to him, willing him to not call her out. He wasn't buying her lie in the slightest (because they didn't set a time and Obito didn't know they were coming), but he went along with it all the same. Rin was sure he was secretly happy to get away from the whispers and they started running.

At the Academy, Rin would have fainted right there if she even thought about grabbing Kakashi's hand and dragging him, but she had a self-imposed task to complete and hell if she was going to be stopped! Not even her infatuation would get in her way!

Accidentally hit by Rin in her haste, some people cursed and yelled at them to 'pay attention where they were going', 'get out of their sight immediately', and, occasionally, 'combust spontaneously'. The girl shouted back some excuses and how it wasn't going to happen again, but she didn't stop dragging Kakashi along.

The chuunin looked at her with a raised eyebrow. Loving, polite and caring Rin… pushing aside random villagers without apologizing profusely? It was quite the surprise for Older Kakashi to see little Rin being anything but respectful.

* * *

"Surprise!"

Obito blinked. What? Why were Rin and Bakakashi at his doorstep?

Rin giggled and shoved the bag full of groceries in his hands. "Tonight we're eating here – I hope you cleaned the kitchen like Shishou and I said." She grabbed Obito's left sleeve and made her way to the kitchen, ignoring her teammate's yelp.

Kakashi trailed after them and snorted, "Do you need babysitting, dobe?"

Obito flushed red. "Teme!" he yelled back, "J-Just… just SHUT UP! You're just jealous!"

"No, I'm not."

"You-!"

"Guys!" Rin scolded them, stopping in front of the kitchen. "We aren't here to bicker, so _don't_!" Really, why were her teammates always ready to jump at each other's throats? If only Minato-sensei had come as well...

However, her annoyance with her teammates was interrupted by a different issue as she entered Obito's kitchen.

"…Obito." Said boy gulped at her '_oh you're going to pay_' tone. "Exactly how long has it been since you last cleaned the kitchen?" Dust was settled all over the cupboards, shelves, refrigerator - everywhere. The only spots relatively clean were the table, the chairs and the ever-wet sink with some plates that urgently needed some scrubbing.

The boy tried to look anywhere but Rin. Crap, he was in _trouble_!

His gaze stopped longer than necessary on Bakakashi's face – was it his impression, or he was looking at Obito like he wanted to see inside his mind? It was – not that the genin would admit it – rather frightening being looked at like that. It made him feel like a lab rat, or some kind of experiment. That gaze of clinical and completely detached analysis most Uchihas had when demanding something…

"-Obito!"

"T-Three days ago!" he squeaked, stanring straight at his crush. Once he realized he just confessed, he blushed madly and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

The look on Rin's face spoke volumes of what she thought about it.

Instead of yelling at him, she sighed and asked him where his cleaning products were. Before Obito could open his mouth to ask why, Kakashi made his presence known – again.

"We're going to cook here, idiot," he deadpanned. "Since food poisoning isn't on our to-do list, you better hope this place is clean first."

Obito flushed, his face turning even redder. Damn, it was as if Bakakashi made it his life's mission to make him feel like an idiot! If they hadn't trained together for almost two weeks, he would have punched him straight on the jaw. (Whether he could actually do it didn't matter.)

He grumbled under his breath and reached for the duster.

* * *

Obito was rather surprised his tiny kitchen wasn't burnt down. He trusted Rin not to ruin everything (how could she? She was so perfect, talented, sweet…), but _Bakakashi_? All he did was train, train and _train_. Obito half-expected him to break or burn something while cooking. Then again, Rin had written down her recipes, and Kakashi always followed the rules to a T, whether they were the Shinobi Rules or simple instructions on how to cook fish. Which was actually quite good, compared to what Obito normally ate.

The meal passed normally, discounting the underlying tension hidden by the overall pleasant atmosphere. Both Rin and Obito tried not-so-subtly to see what was under Kakashi's mask, but all their attempts failed miserably and awkwardness slowly increased every time the chuunin raised an unimpressed eyebrow at them. Every now and then, Kakashi would stare at one of them (prompting a glare from Obito and a blush from Rin) and the raven-haired boy was almost sure that, if Bakakashi stared long enough, he could actually read their minds.

The food was really good due to Rin's amazing cooking skills and the two boys thanked her – or rather, Obito whole-heartedly, loudly, and cheerfully belted out his appreciation, while Kakashi's words were barely audible and most certainly not as gleeful. It seemed like he was being forced by some unknown entity just to spit those simple terms out. Rin beamed all the same and suggested to remain there to 'to get to know each other better and whatnot', but the main reason was clear to them. They didn't want the other Uchiha to attack Obito when they were away.

They settled in the tiny living room – a couch, a table, a carpet and a dusty bookshelf put in the same room. It was utterly unimpressive, but for Obito, it was more than enough. He flushed crimson as Rin saw the poor state of the bookshelf and her eyes narrowed. He was in trouble again and he tried to look anywhere but at her. His gaze had just to settle on Kakashi.

Bakakashi was staring at him with that look… again. The same piercing gaze that made him feel like some kind of anomaly worth experimenting on. Obito had enough of that and voiced his annoyance.

"Oi, Bakakashi! What's with that look?"

The boy, for his part, was completely unfazed. "Nothing," he deadpanned, but Obito wasn't buying it.

"Tch. It's obvious there's something troubling you."

"You actually know what 'troubling' means, I'm shocked."

"B-Baka! I'm not stupid!"

"Could have fooled me."

"OI!"

Rin sighed in exasperation. At least, she supposed, this meant they were returning to normal. After Kakashi's poisoning and Obito's run-in with his clansmen, the situation between them was definitely awkward.

Obito stubbornly refused to show his concern when Kakashi was nearby. During their two-weeks training, he often fidgeted and threw suspicious glances at his teammate, no doubt trying to find what was wrong with him without asking. Sometimes he was caught staring and Obito's eyes narrowed into a glare or a pout, at which Kakashi raised an unimpressed eyebrow.

Kakashi, on the other hand, seemed to have some strange kind of split personality. One moment he was (more or less) patiently explaining them something, and the next, he was setting up grueling exercises with the most creative torture methods, like the trap-planting one.

Rin almost shivered. '_Little_' zaps, buckets full of some unidentified slimy liquid, disorienting genjutsu…Kakashi was certainly a creative individual. One of the first days after the Uchiha Attack (as they dubbed it), Kakashi had used a genjutsu that scrambled their sight – Obito had ended up puking after four seconds and Rin could feel her face turning green just after the fifth.

Seeing them bickering like the old times was both comforting and exasperating: more often than not they fought each other, and Rin couldn't separate them for more than ten seconds. Minato-sensei had much more authority and, if he said 'stop', both stopped immediately. She counted on his presence to hold off her teammates, but he was busy with Kushina-neesan, so…

Rin decided to intervene only if they got physical and started fighting – she didn't want to ruin Obito's house just because she dragged Kakashi there. Her objective was to 'guard' him and, possibly, ease the atmosphere between them – the Uchihas wouldn't attack one of their own if there was someone else with him, right? The Clan was already in trouble with Minato because they tried to harm Obito, they couldn't be so stupid as to do it again.

'Easing the atmosphere between Kakashi and Obito' was almost a pointless hope, she soon realized. As Rin watched them bicker, she didn't know if this was the most they could achieve for their friendship or they really couldn't go along. Either they tried to ignore each other or they constantly insulted each other.

She narrowed her eyes at Kakashi. As much as she didn't want to admit it, he was still an enigma. At the Academy, he was mysterious and a loner. When they became a team, he stubbornly refused to stay near his teammates for more time than necessary and argued endlessly with Obito. After he got poisoned, Kakashi started to have strange mood swings and most of his arrogance disappeared, much to Obito's relief. After the Uchiha Attack, Rin was sure Kakashi had a split personality.

And now, because of who-knows-what, he returned to his mostly arrogant-self. He started citing the Shinobi Rules again and his insults regained some of their sourness – something that didn't throw off Obito, maybe because he never noticed it.

Rin really didn't know what could have happened.

* * *

After bidding each other goodnight, Kakashi returned into his apartment. He had a quick shower and he laid in his bed. By his closed eyes, someone would think that he was asleep – he was anything but that. Rin interrupted a discussion between him and his future self, one that he had every intention to finish.

"Oi, Chibi me-"

_'You. Shut up.'_ Older Kakashi wisely remained silent at his younger self's growl. _'Nothing is more important than the mission – nothing. Not even my own teammates.'_

The time-traveller bristled. He should have expected this, but still…! "Why do you think Obito gave me his eye, just for fun?! Do you think I'm lying?! Teammates _always_ come first-"

_'I DON'T CARE!'_ Younger Kakashi snapped, _'After what happened to… to him, why do you believe in that?! The war still drags on because of his decision – and I won't make the same mistake.'_ He lowered his voice, but his determination rang clear. No one spoke after that and Kurama decided to leave the two Hatakes alone in another side of the mindscrape.

"…I died."

Younger Kakashi was taken aback by the sudden admission. What did he mean, 'died'?

"After I died," the older Hatake stated, now that he grabbed his younger self's attention, "I met Tou-san and forgave him."

It took a few seconds before the boy could properly form words. _'…you're lying. You are lying!'_

"I'm not."

_'How could you just… forgive him?! After what he did, you forgave him?!'_ Younger Kakashi yelled indignantly, not believing a single word of that. Forgiving his supposed father? The one who oh-so-lovely committed suicide after he failed a vital mission for Konoha, the village he swore to protect above everything else?!

Older Kakashi snorted. "Of course I didn't just forgive him – it took more than twenty years for me to understand what Tou-san went through." At the expression of utter shock on his younger self's face, he quickly continued, "No, I didn't fail a mission because of my teammates. I mean I had the same choice to do – comrades or mission. I always managed to complete both."

The youngest of the duo still remained suspicious. "I know you won't seek partnership just yet. I know you will refuse to follow my advice and befriend anyone. But I'll always remind you of what you will become if you let the Timeline teach you those lessons."

With that departing sentence, Older Kakashi severed the mental link between them and the boy tried to fall asleep, stubbornly trying to ignore the contrasting thoughts in his head.

* * *

_Some days later_

"Hokage-sama!"

Said man raised his head just in time to see a frantic-looking runner slamming his door open – chuunin Musumi, if he remembers correctly, who was sent on Iwa's front to retrieve the reports from the frontline.

"What is it?"

"Iwa… Iwa is preparing a large-scale attack!"

The Sandaime was already standing as the word 'Iwa', 'attack' and 'large' left the chuunin's mouth. "Lizard, call Team Minato, Kushina and Jiraya immediately!" he ordered to the ANBU on his right.

He turned his attention to the runner. "Musumi-san, start reporting from the beginning."

The chuunin swallowed heavily before answering, "Three days ago, Eikuro-taicho discovered several enemy teams heading to the border – they managed to take down seven shinobi, but the remaining enemies forced them to retreat." Musumi paused and tried to slow down his breathing. "Forty-two Iwa-nin passed us, so our forces have to face roughly ninety-five shinobi. Eikuro-taicho sent me back immediately after the confrontation. We... we think there's someone of the Explosion Corps between our enemies!"

Right then, a kunoichi barged inside the Hokage's office.

"Hokage-sama!" she shouted, "Hoshi-taicho requires immediate reinforcements – Kumo sent more ninjas and we're sure there are A and Killer Bee, the Lightning Brothers!"

As she finished reporting, the kunoichi noticed the other runner and the Hokage's worried gaze. The other chuunin's expression was horror-stuck and she didn't think that was a good sign.

When the Sandaime called an ANBU with a panther-like mask and ordered him to summon Orochimaru and Minato, the kunoichi knew that Konoha was in neck-deep trouble.

* * *

"You called us, Hokage-sama?"

Team Minato, Kushina, Jiraya and Orochimaru stood in front of the Sandaime, waiting for their orders. He nodded.

"I'll assign you all a mission. We're short on manpower and our enemies are taking advantage of this." The Hokage looked at his shinobi determinately. "Kumo and Iwa are attacking at the same time our borders."

No one but Rin and Obito, who gaped wordlessly, reacted outwardly.

"What?! But they never did this in the past!"

Kurama narrowed his eyes. **"The process already started,"** he stated, **"the Timeline is already trying to erase us. And don't look at me like that – I did say that it could happen."**

_'You said after we changed major events!'_

**"Do you really think I know every single thing that might happen?"** the bijuu growled at the duo, raising threateningly his tails, **"The Jikan no Fujin was never, _never_ used before! We're the first ones to do it, so it's obvious we have only our hypothesis – or rather, only _mine_!"**

The internal argument was cut off by the Sandaime's voice. "Kakashi, Rin, Obito, Kushina and Jiraya will head towards Iwa's border to stop their advancement. There are roughly ninety-five enemies and we're almost sure there is a member of the Explosion Corps of Iwa, as well."

Obito and Rin looked on verge of refusing hands-down the mission, but they wisely kept their thoughts to themselves. If they didn't know any better, they would think some higher-up was trying to get them killed.

Minato glanced worriedly at his students, who were going to fight without him. They were separated again and the blonde couldn't help but worry already. The last time it happened, the three of them got attacked by jonins and risked to die – how could Minato not worry? He blindly trusted both Jiraya and Kushina and he understood why they were chosen, but it still troubled him.

Jiraya could reinforce both Kushina and Kakashi's seals in case the two Kyuubi decided to go on a rampage and the Hokage knew that Minato wouldn't complain about the teams if his sensei went with the kids. Kushina was there because they couldn't allow Kumo to get their hands on her, or Kakashi for that matter. Sending her on Kumo's border was just begging them to take the bijuu and, with the Lightning Brothers, no one wanted to take any chances.

"Jiraya and Kushina," the Hokage continued, "will head to the frontline, while Kakashi, Rin and Obito will stay behind on the second line. Four other teams will go there with you and your captain will be Jiraya. Clear?" Five affirmative answers filled the silence after the question.

"Orochimaru and Minato, instead, will aid our shinobi on Kumo's border and attack the Lightning Brothers. You'll be on the frontline until the attack ends. Six teams will JOIN you as well, and your captain will be Orochimaru. All clear?" The two shinobi nodded.

"You'll depart an hour from now – be at the North Gate by then, and don't be late." The Hokage looked pointedly at Obito before dismissing them.

* * *

The ten Konoha teams arrived at eleven o'clock sharp and everyone started tree-hopping.

The kids of Team Minato were really worried by this new mission – it was their first time on the frontline! They wouldn't be thrown immediately into the fray, but knowing there was someone of the Explosion Corps of Iwa, well… everything in a five-miles radius near him (or her) would be in great danger.

They heard some gruesome tales from several shinobi who, one way or another, got permanently injured on the frontline and were forced into retirement. Kakashi was mostly unfazed because he was more used to those kinds of stories, but Rin and Obito were actually terrified to even get near the frontline.

Even Older Kakashi and Kurama were worried about the sudden mission to the frontline – Minato had returned, what, a week or so ago? It wasn't nearly enough time to rest properly after a month of fighting. And since this never happened, no one knew what the hell the outcome would be. For all Kakashi racked his metaphorical brain, he couldn't come up with anything – Iwa and Kumo never attacked together, Minato never left so soon after getting back and most certainly Rin and Obito never, never went to the frontlines.

Team Minato became a sabotaging team after the two kids were promoted to chuunin, so almost a year from now. But who could tell? The Timeline was already rearranging itself.

Kurama didn't have any idea as to why the process started so soon. His most likely guess was that they already changed something important and they didn't realize it, but no one was sure about that. The mind-merging process was slowly but surely continuing, but Kakashi didn't experience vivid nightmares like the last one.

The time-traveller sighed, remembering the huge chaos that ensued. After he revealed the Sharingan-looking eye, his younger self gaped, rehanged his jaw, stared and then he listened to the Kannabi Bridge Mission 'report'. When he got to Obito's speech, though, he snapped – he yelled and firmly stated his belief, the mission always comes first.

Older Kakashi tried to make his younger self understand before it was too late (_too late, too late for Obito, for Rin, for Minato, for Kushina, for Naruto-_), but the boy was just as stubborn. Kurama added his own two cents as well, but younger Kakashi refused to LISTEN to them and continued to state the mission always comes first. It was then that Rin started yelling outside the door and Kurama severed the mental link between them and the stubborn chuunin.

The time-traveller realized, with no small amount of dread, that the Timeline _could manipulate them_, as well.

Even Kurama was upset by this. Somehow, all the progress they have made to change Younger Kakashi's belief were erased in minutes. And they allowed it, thinking the Timeline wouldn't be rearranging itself so soon. It was unnerving knowing that they were slowly becoming puppets, their strings were getting reattached, their thoughts CONTROLLED and their actions redirected to lead the world to its end.

They didn't have much time to stop the Timeline before the Timeline stopped them.

* * *

**Ohohhhhhh, STRA-GASP!**

**An UPDATE?! Well, it's most of a transition Chapter before the attack on Hi no Kuni's borders. Can you feel the tension? Can you feel the internal turmoil, the master puppeteer Timeline who's slowly reattaching its strings to the timetravellers… can you feel it?! :O**

**If you do, yay, I did my job well. If not… meh. It happens.**

**Uh… the fight(s) will be in the next Chapter. And maybe in the next one as well. It can happen but hey, they're at war – all-out fights can take a really long time ;)**

**Kurama and Kakashi, with their presence, killed and saved several shinobi. Those who were supposed to go to the frontline got stuck in the village to guard it, lots of ninjas from Kumo and Iwa who weren't supposed to die were sent to fight, other people remained inside the villages instead of fighting and vice versa… all of that. **

**I don't know what else I should explain to you about this Chapter. I always try to make a character or his thoughts explain something, so I don't have to write it here. However, if something isn't clear just drop a question into the review and I'll answer in the next Chapter.**

**Beware of the Kitsune's rage!**

**ShiiroiKitsune 21**


	21. Chapter 20: Konoha vs Iwa

**OMG I returned?! **

**Wait wait wait- ****_122 favs and 184 followers_****?! O/O *hyperventilates and faints***

**And in only five months, give or take! Oh for the love of muffins and cheesecakes… I'm so happy, elated, euphoric and oh-my-god shocked that so many people find my story worth reviewing, faving and following! Thank you so much! *group glomp!* ^.^ **

***cough* So, back on track… **

**Thanks to NarutoxHonoka, juman1994, Rose of The Wind1, Dragonnotte, cloystreng, Prescripto13, Anony-mouse, Yungsun, long live marshmallows, Guest(s), jleath1234, Sailor Pandabear, Yip and love toshiro dragon for their reviews! :D **

**NarutoxHonoka (and Yip): you'll see, you'll see… buahahahah! *thunders on the background* **

**Long live marshmallows (and Guest): unfortunately, I didn't see any episode of Doctor Who, but oh well :/ And yes, I think Younger Kakashi should listen to his guests… ;) **

**Guest: …uhm. I didn't plan on making them discover the whole Jinchuuriki-thing. But I think they'll never know – at least not until they get the clearance to know or majority of Konoha discovers it. I'll think about it, really ;D **

**Jleath1234: Chibi Kakashi is too young to actually buy an Icha Icha… but his older self has a really good memory ;) I'll see if I can add a version of this scene in the next Chapters, thanks for the suggestion :3**

**And, uh, since this Chapter contains fight scenes… beware, I can't write those very well. But might as well give it a try, don't you think? ;3**

* * *

**Chapter 20: Konoha vs Iwa **

The 'second' line was worse than Kakashi imagined.

Corpses were scattered everywhere, some whole and some torn to shreds – by what, he wasn't sure he wanted to know. The stench of blood was almost enough to make him puke, and he would have if he didn't have his mask. It was the first time he pitied the Inuzukas for their most prized ability, and he had a feeling it wouldn't be the last.

"Eikuro! Why the hell did you retreat to the second line?!" Jiraya shouted angrily to the other captain, who was breathing heavily. Every inch of his body was wounded and it was a wonder he didn't faint yet.

The brown-haired man was quick to answer, "Too many enemies, half their forces were underground and attacked us – we lost twenty-three chuunins and eight jonins."

Jiraya nodded grimly and didn't waste any more time before jumping several meters over the Iwa army. Time to bring a friend on the battlefield.

'_Boar, dog, bird, monkey, ram-_' "Summoning jutsu!"

A huge green toad landed on several enemies and immediately took his twin swords from his back. Jiraya anchored himself to the toad's head before ordering, "Everyone, ATTACK!"

The Konoha shinobi charged their opponents with renewed vigor – the battle seemed lost, but with the Toad Sage by their side the tables were finally turned! Their forces attacked with every ninja art they knew of – ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu… the Iwa nin were overwhelmed by their opponents' sudden reinforcements and confidence. The Toad Sage wasn't exactly holding back, either.

Somehow, the medics were redirected to the backline to heal the wounded while Jiraya and Gamahiro took control of the battlefield.

Kushina ordered Rin to join the medics and the two boys to stand back while the jonins took care of the tougher opponents. Obito clearly didn't want to, but a menacing Earth Golem seemed to convince him otherwise – the genin was almost squashed by its hand, and he would have been if Kushina didn't knock out the Iwa-nin.

Three enemies were dashing toward Kakashi from different directions to surround him, but they were in for the shock of their lives when the chuunin crouched and two chakra claws shot from his back and pierced two shinobi's hearts. Kakashi used his third opponent's surprise to form several hand seals.

"Raiton: Lightning Strike!"

The Iwa-nin barely dodged the attack and was too distracted to notice Kakashi's Shadow Clone behind him, his tanto ready to strike.

Kushina covered Obito and Rin's retreat to the backline with a Great Water Vortex before making her way through the Iwa army and supporting her comrades with taijutsu and ninjutsu. She remained close to Kakashi, in case he was in trouble and Jiraya couldn't reach him.

The Iwa shinobi fought tooth and nail to maintain the land they gained, but they were eventually pushed back by the Konohan reinforcements – they expected them, but no one could have known the Toad Sage and the Uzumaki would jump into the fray!

"Fireworks!"

At someone's shout, every Iwa shinobi retreated immediately. Several Konohan grinned, thinking the enemies were too intimidated by Jiraya and Kushina's presences and ran away. It was such an odd retreating code, though they weren't surprised – the less likely the word, the safest the code was.

Older Kakashi's eye widened. He remembered the basics Iwa signals when he first led the Third Division, and "fireworks" meant…!

He quickly possessed his younger self's shadow clone and shouted, "_Explosives!_"

Just as that word left his mouth, the ground lit up with chakra.

* * *

Kurama snorted. He had to do everything, it seemed.

Both Kakashis were knocked out because of the explosions – the older one had the _brilliant_ idea to warn his comrades just a split second before the bombs blew up the entire battlefield, thus knocking himself through the shadow clone.

Well… at least someone could have heard his exclamation and actually got away. Maybe.

Kurama took control of Kakashi's body and used his chakra claws to shove the rocks away from him. He remained crouched and surveyed the battlefield.

Stones, boulders and entire chunks of earth were scattered across the whole surface, even where they weren't supposed to be. The dust had yet to settle down and several body parts were lying underneath big rocks, surrounded by what looked like internal organs.

The air reeked of blood, ash, dust and explosive clay. Kurama's nose twitched at the horrid stench and he redirected the chakra flow away from his sensitive nose. Throwing up now wasn't the most appealing option, really.

His minor injuries were immediately healed due to his chakra and Kurama started walking to find the survivors. It was quite the explosion, he had to admit: so many explosives buried across the whole battlefield caused a lot of damage. It wouldn't surprise Kurama if some enemies died as well – whoever had to activate the bombs didn't have much time to let his comrades go away, not when Kakashi shouted it was a trap.

Kurama found the first survivor under several rocks and he was surprised to recognize the chakra – Kushina. It was eerie how her long red hair resembled a pool of blood, like she was dead. He pushed the ridiculous thought aside: his past self would _never_ let his host die, whether said host was a loud obnoxious woman or a hyperactive blonde kid.

The bijuu shoved the boulders aside to see how his ex-Jinchuuriki's wounds were. He sighed in relief when he confirmed she didn't seem to have any threatening injuries and everything was already being healed by the past-Kyuubi's chakra.

Kurama shook lightly her shoulder. **"Kushina, wake up," **he whispered in her ear. He didn't sense anyone threatening near them, but it was better being safe than sorry.

He narrowed his eyes when the woman didn't stir. Why were humans so _weak_ and _slow_ when they had to recover from a damn explosion?! Now wasn't the time to sleep! Kurama gathered a little of Kakashi's lightning chakra to his fingertips and poked the woman, hissing, **"Wake up, ****_human_****!" **

That seemed to do the trick and Kushina jolted awake, trying to punch him. He blocked it and smirked haughtily. **"Kushina, you shouldn't attack your comrades, don't you think?" **Kurama enjoyed every bit of her shocked expression at his words.

"K-kyuu…!"

**"****Now, you know my name's Kurama." **

Kushina's eyebrow twitched slightly. "…W-What did you do… to 'Kashi-kun?" she said through gritted teeth. The Uzumaki was clearly trying to push away her dizziness to appear threatening – and failing rather poorly, he might add.

Kurama held his hands up in mock surrender. **"I didn't do a thing," **he stated, **"that brat is just recovering from the explosion."**

Kushina narrowed her eyes slightly and eventually decided that Kurama was saying the truth. She sighed and stood up, not even wincing at her injuries. They were minor, anyway – Kyuu would heal them in a heartbeat.

"Let's find… the others, then." She announced and Kurama nodded in agreement.

* * *

Tsuriji Iwari of the Explosion Corps grinned. His trap blew up the _entire_ battlefield and every Konoha shinobi was as good as dead!

He looked at his men – thirty-five chuunins and thirty-eight jonins were behind him, smirking at the damage. They lost more or less ten shinobi because of the explosion, while the ones missing were killed by the Konoha forces. Who cared – the tree huggers were dead now, maybe even the infamous Toad Sage!

"Tsuriji-taicho," someone called behind him, "I think the Hatake brat was there, as well."

A kunoichi nodded. "Yeah, that little bastard warned the other Konoha scum – too bad he died with them," she agreed, grinning evilly.

Tsuriji, on the other hand, was less elated and more worried. Tsuchikage-sama ordered him to get the Hatake alive if he showed up on the battlefield –the price for Kumo's collaboration on the other border of Hi no Kuni. Problem was, the brat was most likely dead and if Kumo heard about this, well…

Damn it, why couldn't explosions solve everything?

"Find him," the blonde-haired leader ordered, "and bring him here. Tsuchikage-sama wants him alive, and alive he will be."

Several Iwa-nins looked at him confused for a second, before obeying and jumping onto the battlefield with their captain.

* * *

It was a wonder they didn't meet any enemy yet.

Kushina and Kurama gathered eleven shinobi, but five of them couldn't fight and the other six were injured heavily. They insisted they could help, but Kushina convinced them otherwise with her Angry Glare. It was the _'I know you're lying your ass off'_ version, which made even adult and battle-hardened ninjas feel like little children caught with their hands in the jar of cookies.

Kurama tensed. **"Kushina, ten chakra signatures are nearing us." **He whispered in her ear. Such a deep voice would look strange on a ten-year-old boy, and he didn't want others to hear.

Kushina's eyes widened. They couldn't fight well with eleven wounded nearby: and even then, ten unknown shinobi against two was a rather unfair battle. But they didn't have any other choice. The smell of blood was heavier near them, and they couldn't move fast enough to get away without alerting their enemies.

They eventually decided to hide the wounded and lure the Iwa-nins away – the Jinchuriki _will_ kill them, unwanted attention be damned. Whether they realized it or not, this battle could decide who would win the war.

Kurama and Kushina hid behind some rocks and coated the surrounding area with chakra, so their enemies couldn't pinpoint them or the injured Konoha shinobi. It was much easier and convenient than trying to dampen their signatures: being Jinchuuriki, their chakra reserves hardly passed unnoticed.

Plus, they could tell immediately if those ten people were enemies or not: if they were allies, they would recognize Kushina's chakra; if they weren't, then they would be in for the last fight of their lives.

When the unknown signatures stopped at the edge of the chakra-coated field, Kushina narrowed her eyes. Ten enemies, six of them jonin level, against two Jinchuuriki. If they used to its fullest the element of surprise, at least four would go down before they knew it.

Kushina glanced at Kurama. _"Do a clone," _she signaled, _"triangular seal formation." _

The bijuu flashed her a feral grin that, although very odd to see on a boy's face, made her feel slightly comforted. Kurama was really helping them and Kakashi-kun, his friendly behavior wasn't faked – otherwise he would have already broken the seal to go on a rampage.

Right before digging his way under the Iwa-nin, Kurama created a Chakra clone in order to allow Older Kakashi to help. He just _knew_ the Hatake would shout at him during the entire fight if he didn't have a possibility to jump into the fray. And, knowing his suicidal tendencies, Kurama wisely didn't create a Shadow Clone, but a chakra one – more resistant, similar to the real body and with larger reserves for jutsu and boosted movement.

He was definitely not following a human's orders. Not at all.

Kurama wordlessly sneaked underground and grinned at his enemies – not that they could see it, of course. He quietly formed several hand seals, remaining hidden till the last second because of the chakra-drenched air.

**_'_****_Katon: Great Inferno!'_**

He leaped over the Iwa-nin and gathered his fire-natured demonic chakra in his lungs before spitting it to the ten enemies. The fire covered the distance in less than two seconds, scorching the earth below and three unlucky chuunin. Kurama almost cringed at the smell of burnt flesh and the agonized screams. Better senses weren't always an advantage, but he couldn't allow himself to lower them with enemies nearby. Not when the Timeline was out for their heads.

The other ten shinobi looked at Kurama and immediately hurled a kunai barrage at him – charged with chakra, if the increased speed was any indicator.

Kurama dashed to his left before jumping away when a particularly vicious-looking earth spear appeared from below him.

"The Hatake brat!" shouted someone, finally recognizing him.

Now that the Jinchuuriki were sure their attention was fully on him, Kushina and Kakashi's Chakra clone slapped two seals on the ground, feeding it the Kyuubi's energy. As they expected, no one noticed the subtle change in the air already heavy with chakra. Nobody except Kurama, who leaped further from the Iwa-nin and applied the third seal, forming a triangular shape with the other two.

"Fuinjutsu: Chakra Field!"

The ground lit up with red burning chakra at their shout and only four shinobi got away fast enough to avoid their deaths. The other three enemies screamed in pain as their chakra systems were overloaded with the Kyuubi's poisonous energy, before collapsing lifelessly on the ground.

The Jinchuuriki were forced to move, however, when three clay birds flew at them before exploding.

* * *

Older Kakashi woke up by his younger self's side, crouching over the ground. He raised his head and tensed when he saw four other Iwa-nin in front of him. Kushina and Chibi Kakashi were on his right and both sides were looking at each other, like daring their enemies to do the first move.

What happened when he was out?

**"****About time you woke," **Kurama's voice swirled in his mind, **"Kit is still asleep because of the first explosion." **

"So you're possessing the original body?" Cue his mentally raised eyebrow.

**"****Yup." **

"…Alright." 

The four Iwa-nin glared at the two Jinchuuriki for a second before moving. The only blonde ninja on the battlefield – jonin, most likely the captain – put his right hand inside a black bag tied around his waist, while the other three jonin dashed forward to attack them head-on.

The one on the Jinchuuriki's left engaged the Chakra clone with taijutsu, sending earth-natured chakra in his limbs to harden them and strengthen his attacks.

The clone would have already dispelled if it was a regular Shadow one, Kakashi had to admit – his opponent used a jutsu similar to Kakuzu's, a very good technique… but an _earth-natured_ one, as well.

Kakashi briefly checked the clone's reserves and inwardly grimaced. He couldn't spare much chakra if he didn't want to distract Kurama with the memory transfer. He used his superior agility and reflexes to avoid as may hits as possible, luring his opponent away from his comrades.

It was better if no one witnessed this.

Clearly believing his stronger build would have guaranteed him a quick victory, the jonin didn't bother paying attention to the boy's irregular chakra flow and trying to dodge his hits. After all, what could a little brat do to him when he was using the Body Hardening jutsu?

Certainly not pierce his ribcage with a fist.

A _lightning-charged_ fist, his mind helpfully added as life slipped through his fingers.

Kakashi let the Chidori fade from his hand and briefly checked his reserves. He used already a fifth of his chakra to kill the Iwa-nin and there were still a lot of enemies to face – there couldn't be only four shinobi, after all. Iwa reinforcements would arrive soon, and who knows who'll join the battle?

He sighed. Why did everything have to be so troublesome?

Kakashi was ready to get away and help Kushina, only to stop abruptly as fifty other signatures neared his position.

* * *

_A little while before_

As an Iwa jonin attacked Kakashi, another one quickly flashed some hand seals.

"Suiton: Tidal Wave!"

Both Kurama and Kushina leaped away from the massive wave – where did he get that much water? – only to be immediately engaged by the two remaining jonin.

The bijuu jumped backwards to avoid a powerful dropkick and shot a chakra claw from his right hand. It had a reddish glow and the enemy looked confused for a millisecond before quickly dashing away. He must have seen what happened to his comrades when the claw pierced through their ribcages.

Right after hiding, the jonin hurled four shuriken at him – and _of course_ they had to become twenty because of the Shuriken cloning jutsu. Kurama avoided most of them and deflected the others with a chakra claw. He swiftly dashed behind the Iwa-nin, only to stab thin air.

His opponent didn't attack him directly anymore and, whenever he seemed near, it was only an earth clone. The Iwa-nin kept his distance and observed him, watched how the boy avoided and blocked his weapons and earth jutsu.

Kurama tensed slightly when he heard the high-pitched sound of a thousand birds' chirping. Why the hell was Kakashi using the _Chidori_?! He knew it was freaking _loud_, was he trying to get everybody's attention?!

"Doton: Mud Dragon!"

Kurama quickly gathered Kakashi's chakra in his hand, changing its nature to lightning.

"Chidori Nagashi!"

It was unstable, but the long lightning blade managed to cut straight through the Dragon before vanishing in a shower of sparks. Kurama gritted his teeth – damn human body, unused to control too much chakra. The boy had a long way to go before his body could properly control his Jinchuuriki-sized reserves.

He abruptly turned around and saw two white birds aiming straight at his face. Kurama dashed away as the first clay bird exploded. He didn't expect its force to throw him several meters away, making him roll over the ground.

"Kur- _Kakashi_!"

Kushina's shout didn't really help Kurama when the second bird targeted him. He could feel the woman making her way to his position, but another loud explosion –and the two Iwa jonin, most likely – kept her away and too busy to save him.

Not that he actually needed someone to save him, obviously.

Kurama quickly extended his chakra and wrapped it around himself just a millisecond before the explosion hit him. He felt its power and allowed himself to roll over the battlefield's uneven surface, tightly maintaining his control over his chakra. He knew that even a little slip could cost him –and both Kakashis- the possibility to live and change the future.

_To save Naruto_, as cheesy as it sounded.

The bijuu felt himself stopping abruptly as something grabbed him – or rather, the chakra cocoon he wrapped around Kakashi's body. He almost smirked when he recognized the nearest chakra as Kushina's, who somehow rushed to get him. Kurama reabsorbed his chakra and watched with a slightly amused expression the distress rolling off the Iwa-nin.

"T-Taicho, do we really have to get h-him _alive_?!" one of the jonin whispered to the blonde man, looking somewhat worried.

Oh, they were trying to get him _alive_? Well, they were doing such a _great_ job that, if Kurama hadn't thought quickly, he would have died. He snorted derisively to himself. The Timeline was getting creative to kill him, but really, _incompetent jonin_?

Well, not the blonde one. Even though he was the one who threw the clay birds, he seemed pretty focused and in control – meaning the birds weren't overpowered without a reason. His eyes were both green, but his hair covered the right one. His outfit wasn't very different from the normal Iwa uniform, and his features reminded him of another blonde Iwa ninja, somewhere in the future.

Was he… a relative of Deidara's?

Kurama narrowed his eyes at the man. Comparing him and Deidara from both his and Kakashi's memories, they looked very similar. So that bag contained explosive clay, he had mouths on his hands and-

Kurama almost winced.

"Ow… I _think_ I hit my head." A familiar voice spoke in his mind, sounding vaguely sheepish. All his memories came rushing back and it took Kurama two tries to untangle the complete mess of thoughts, sensorial perceptions and emotions. Once the memory was back in place, the bijuu's eyebrow twitched.

**"****Why the hell did you get dispelled?" **

Older Kakashi chuckled uncomfortably. "It wasn't my fault there were fifty Iwa shinobi and I was alone, really…"

Kurama glared at him harder. **"You had faced far more opponents in your previous life," **he growled, **"why did you let yourself be stabbed? You ****_do_**** know the Chakra clone's memory transfer is much more taxing on the mind than the Shadow clone's, don't you?" **

"Yeah, yeah," Kakashi waved his hand dismissively, rolling his eye. "And the Rokudaime labeled it as a Jinchuuriki-only ninjutsu, since a normal human's mind was most likely to shut down from the sensorial inputs of a Chakra clone – yeah, I know."

**"****And it is disadvantageous to the caster if the clone ****_dispels_**** in the ****_middle of a fight_****." **Kurama deadpanned through gritted fangs. The look would have been enough to melt the moon, but Kakashi looked completely unaffected.

"Maa… I'm just not really used to fight in a smaller body…"

Both time-travellers stopped bickering when the three enemies' chakras spiked and they started attacking again. This time, one of them remained crouched in an awkward position –was that a paralyzing seal on his left leg?– and swiftly formed hand seals before shouting:

"Doton: Earth Golem!"

The ground underneath them shook and entire chunks of earth crumbled to reveal the imposing figure of a golem. The Jinchuuriki didn't have time to stare at it when the other two jonin engaged them. They always remained far from them and preferred throwing sharp ninja tools or explosives than coming near them – which was a good choice for them, if they didn't want to be caught in one of Kushina's seals.

The golem wasn't exactly helping matters, either. Kurama knew he couldn't waste Kakashi's lightning chakra against those enemies, especially when the blonde one used Deidara's jutsu. He was the most dangerous, since he managed to bury his explosives all under the battlefield. Who knew what he was hiding?

Kurama created two chakra claws to deflect the weapons thrown at them and jumped over the battlefield, avoiding the flock of clay birds. If he had to save Kakashi's chakra, then he'll use his own.

**"****Katon: Great Phoenix Flowers!" **

He didn't bother throwing shuriken –which would have been melted by Kurama's chakra – and simply aimed his attacks at the crouching Iwa-nin. He determined the flames' temperature and smirked as the golem put his arms over the caster to protect him.

As the flames hit the intended target, the golem's arms became black because of the heat.

Kushina's eyes widened slightly in understanding and she kicked away her opponent before forming several hand seals of her own while Kurama covered her.

"Suiton: Water Bullets!"

She quickly threw the sphere-like water on the golem's arms and smirked to herself when she heard the sounds of crumbling rocks and the enemy's pained shout. His jutsu became his grave, and now there were only three opponents.

…no, _forty_ opponents was more correct.

As the golem crumbled over his caster, thirty-something other Iwa-nin joined their comrades and surrounded the two Jinchuuriki. The relatively small army smirked at them like predators hunting a defenseless prey – or like they were already imagining how their blood would taste.

If Kurama hadn't been a blood-thirsty demon once, he would have dismissed their grins as something far less creepy.

Oh well.

The bijuu quickly created a Chakra clone and allowed Older Kakashi to possess it before taking his tanto. Being forced to fight into a smaller body was something he wasn't used to, but he had to deal with it until Younger Kakashi woke up again.

He glanced at Kushina and checked briefly her chakra. He only wanted to feel how much energy remained in her, but Kurama was taken aback by its panicked buzzing and the random falters in its flow. Why the hell was that woman _afraid_?! Of all times, why was she afraid _in the_ _middle of a freaking battle_?!

"Because the Timeline needs a reason to kill us."

Kurama almost face-palmed. Of course, hindering Kushina while there wasn't any other help was basically sending them straight to Hell. However, he didn't have time to be worried about why he didn't think it before, because every enemy attacked them at once.

Flying boulders, clay birds, weapons, tidal waves and, although rare, lightning bolts came rushing at them from all sides. There wasn't anywhere to go without being injured in a life-threatening way and, knowing the Timeline's stubbornness to erase its errors, Kurama knew he couldn't hope to heal himself well enough while fighting. He had to block the attacks.

The bijuu tried to wrap his chakra around them, but there was something blocking it – that something being four seals placed in a quadrangular formation. Eight shinobi were guarding those damned pieces of inked paper and – if Kurama read right – the seals suppressed only fire-natured chakra. Which was his own, obviously.

Kakashi immediately jumped in front of Kushina to shield her, while Kurama readied the tanto in his hand to deflect as many attacks as possible – if they had to die, they would die with dignity!

* * *

"Fuuton: Great Breakthrough!"

Several Iwa-nin were knocked back by the wind's force and majority of their attacks were thrown back – the weapons and the water jutsu spun out of control, hitting whoever had the misfortune to be in their way, while the lightning jutsu vanished in a shower of sparks.

The boulders and the clay birds were slowed and the Jinchuuriki quickly used that advantage to jump back.

"Gastuga!"

Eleven Inuzuka charged at the earth jutsu and bravely shattered the boulders with their ninken. The clay birds exploded as the shinobi neared them, but they were quick enough to avoid major damage and jumped back to join their comrades.

"Are you OK?" asked Jiraya, quickly leaping near the two Jinchuuriki, "Kushina? Kakashi?"

The Uzumaki nodded. "Yeah."

**"****Sure." **

The Toad Sage's eyes widened when he heard Kurama's voice leave his grand-student's mouth, but before he could apply a chakra-suppressing seal on the boy Kushina shushed him, whispering, "We can trust him."

Jiraya was clearly suspicious, but he dropped the issue. Discussing about an S-ranked secret in the middle of a fight wasn't really recommended. "We found the injured Konoha-nin you helped," he reported briefly, "and we arrived just in time to save the day." Then he whispered, "Obito and Rin are there with four jonin and four chuunin."

Kushina nodded again before shifting into an aggressive battle stance.

* * *

Every Konohan remained deathly silent, except for the quiet whimpers of the injured.

There were an Uchiha, an Inuzuka, a Hyuuga, five iryo-nin and, quite obviously, two unlucky genin. They had the task to heal and protect the injured Kushina had found, but they were told not to return to the backline – Jiraya or another jonin would get there and give them the all clear, but they had to remain there until then.

Obito kept glancing around him, even if Ryoko Hyuuga was already checking their surroundings with the Byakugan. The gruesome tales he heard about the frontline just wouldn't go away and he found himself trembling in utter terror – would the same horrible things he heard happen to him, too? He could feel tears forming in his eyes and he furiously wiped them away, taking off his goggles.

Was he really this _pathetic_? Not even fighting, and yet he was crying?

Damn, he shouldn't have listened to that old arm-less veteran.

"There's something wrong here," the Uchiha suddenly stated, narrowing her eyes. "The chakra stuck on these rocks…"

"…it isn't blue," Ryoko completed, finishing her sentence. "It's… red."

Everyone tensed. How could someone's chakra be _red_? Iryo-nin could change its color, as did some Kekkei Genkai – but they had never heard about this type of modification.

"Maybe it's Kushina's," added the man, frowning slightly, "I saw her chakra more than once, and it _was_ a little red… but never this much."

One of the iryo-nin shrugged. "At least we know no enemies got here – and if they did, Kushina-san fought them and won. Otherwise there would be more traces of unknown chakra."

The ten shinobi fell silent, accepting his answer. All jutsu used chakra, it was inevitable that some of it would remain on the battlefield. Only the sounds of the fight taking place somewhere around them interrupted their silence – at least, until Rin spoke up.

"A-Ano… did anyone see Kakashi-kun?"

The adults glanced at each other before looking around. The medics shook their heads and kept working on the injured.

"Hatake?" Rin nodded at Sarushi Uchiha, pleasantly surprised the kunoichi didn't sneer her teammate's name. "His chakra is here, even if Kushina-san's is covering pretty much everything."

"I've met him on the travel," Kenji Inuzuka added, still sniffing on the ground, "and his smell lingers here before going that way." He pointed north-west and his ninken woofed in agreement.

Ryoko looked in that direction. "He's fighting with the others," was his statement. Cue the far away explosions coming from north-west.

It didn't take long for Obito to react.

"H-He's FIGHTING?!" he shouted, shocked to the core. Bakakashi was _freaking_ fighting against a _freaking army_?! He may be a chuunin, but everyone had his limits! Why the hell was he (still ten year old, damn it!) in the middle of the battlefield?!

"Quiet!"

Obito backed away from the three Clan members as they hissed at him. Rin glanced worriedly at him before refocusing again on her task – trying to stabilize a man with a nasty burn on his left leg. Luckily for her, Sarune came along and everyone was always ready to help.

Which was a really good thing, since Rin and Obito almost got killed by a landmine.

If Ryoko didn't use his Kaiten, they would have been as good as dead. It seemed that whoever planted those explosives had enough time to get behind the shinobi and bury some mines right there, thus killing several medics – only ten iryo-nin out of twenty-three survived. The other five were in another area to heal the injured that Jiraya-sama found.

Obito frowned, remembering when everyone admitted they never encountered Bakakashi and Kushina-nee after the _biggest explosion they have ever seen_. Jiraya looked rightfully worried and immediately ordered the Inuzuka and Hyuuga to find them as soon as possible. Rin and Obito volunteered to search for him, but the man forbid them to go _anywhere_ near the fight.

And, obviously, Kakashi and Kushina were in the middle of a freaking battle.

Just fabulous.

* * *

_'__What do you mean 'not now'?! Give me my body back!' _

Kurama snorted at the tiny disrespectful human under his paws. **"In case you haven't noticed," **he growled, **"we****_ all_**** are in the middle of a ****_fight_****. You'll get it back when we aren't."**

Younger Kakashi's eyebrow twitched. He just woke up from a damn explosion, only to find out Kurama and his older self were already fighting. But hey, the body was _his_! He had the right to use it, especially when his life was at stake! Alright, his one-eyed self and the 'all mighty' bijuu might have more battle experience, but no one was more used to a shorter and smaller body than himself!

Kurama stabbed two chuunin while surveying the battlefield and ignoring the body's owner. Every Konoha shinobi was holding his ground quite nicely, despite being almost blew up by a mine field. It looked like Older Kakashi's warning had been followed by many, so a lot of ninjas survived without hindering injuries.

Jiraya was wreaking havoc all over the battlefield with fire and earth jutsu, not even bothering to summon his toads again. He probably didn't want them to accidentally kill other Konohan, but Kurama wasn't sure – if something could kill more people and it was your task, why not use it?

He glanced at Kushina – she was fighting against the blonde bomber from Iwa, who seemed to be advantaged. After all, earth was more powerful against water, and Kushina didn't know any Raiton jutsu to deactivate the clay bombs.

Just as a clay dragon was about to hit her, Kurama bolted from his position and molded Kakashi's chakra again.

"Chidori Nagashi!"

The dragon got pierced by the lightning blade and crashed on the ground like a string-less puppet. As expected, it didn't blow up anything, much to the blonde's shock. He must have been asking himself, "How does this boy know my jutsu's weakness?" Kurama inwardly grimaced as the blade vanished again and he ignored Younger Kakashi's amazement and curiosity.

Kushina's eyes widened as she reached inside her pouch – to take a seal, most probably. However, she didn't get the chance to do it because Jiraya landed beside her. He ordered her to help the others while he took care of the blonde shinobi. Kushina glanced briefly at the enemy and Kurama before leaping away.

"The _Toad Sage_ regards _me_ as a serious threat?" the Iwa-nin asked rhetorically, never taking his green eye off the man. "I feel so _honored_ to be considered a worthy opponent by a Sannin..." he shifted his stance, "…and I'll gladly take away that title from you."

He seemed to completely ignore Kurama as he molded his clay again and threw it. This time there weren't only birds, but spiders and humanoid… things that charged at the same time Jiraya. The Toad Sage easily avoided the birds and the jumping spiders, as did Kurama. Their opponent hurled less powerful explosives at him, but he wasn't complaining: Younger Kakashi was still demanding his body back, and he wasn't really so subtle in his request.

When two clay humanoids came running at him, Kurama immediately gathered Kakashi's lightning chakra again. It was damn loud, but who would care about a little kid fighting for his life?

"Chidori!"

Kurama had enough of Older Kakashi's memories to know how much chakra he should use and he didn't waste time to cut off the humanoids' limbs. The bijuu narrowed his eyes, however, when the pieces started molding by themselves and formed other annoying clay-things, just smaller than the original.

All those things jumped straight at him and Kurama had to take Kakashi's tanto to cut through them. He had to charge the blade with lightning chakra, otherwise it would remain stuck into the clay – at least, that Uchiha said so. Most probably from experience.

And yet, Kurama couldn't allow himself to use too much of Kakashi's chakra. With Naruto it was much easier – his main jutsu didn't need a change in nature other than the Rasenshuriken, so the bijuu didn't have any problems in lending his energy. And even then, Kurama had time to learn how to merge the blonde's wind chakra with his own fire one. But for Kakashi, the jutsu he could use required skill and lots of training in changing other elements.

He could easily mix his chakra with fire, wind and water-natured ones because of his own experience with Naruto and Kushina, but lightning and earth were still a work in progress – which wasn't finished by the time he time-travelled.

And _of course_ the boy had to be lightning and earth natured, just the natures for which Kurama didn't have a bit of affinity.

Thus returning to his original problem: Kurama couldn't boost Kakashi's lightning or earth jutsu with his end-less energy.

_'__If you have to use my chakra all the same,' _the boy spoke from his spot under Kurama's paws, _'then why don't you give me my body back? Who else knows how to control my chakra better than me?' _He was using to his own advantage his older self's absence to make Kurama give him control again, and it seemed to be working.

At least, more than demanding it back.

* * *

Kakashi quickly jumped away from the little pieces of clay and glanced upwards to check what was happening over him. The chakra spikes he felt were powerful and he couldn't help but be worried.

There was something he could describe only as a dragon, flying merrily in the sky. It lost chunks of clay from its tail and it spat explosive bullets on the ground, destroying a good part of the battlefield and killing several ninjas. Whether said shinobi were from Konoha, Iwa or both, Kakashi didn't know.

Jiraya and the unknown blonde were fighting over the dragon and sometimes Kakashi could see explosions and flames rise from the creature.

The boy didn't have any time to look around before he was attacked by other Iwa shinobi from all sides.

"Doton: Earth Dome!"

The four shinobi slammed their hands on the ground and four walls rose from the field, surrounding Kakashi and closing over him. He quickly jumped away just in time to avoid being buried, feeling grateful to his minor height.

He charged his tanto with white chakra and dashed behind the nearest enemy before thrusting the blade into his flesh. The man made the error to underestimate him, just like others did.

Another shinobi charged at him with a katana and tried to use his longer reach to his advantage. Kakashi was forced on the defensive to avoid the Iwa nin's slashes and another enemy tried to get behind him. The chuunin was quick to create a chakra claw from his back and pierce that fool's chest.

He smirked at the katana-wielder when he saw his shock and charged his tanto with Kurama's chakra to knock his sword from his grasp. The shinobi didn't expect a little boy to be able to face stronger opponents at once, but he managed to jump back just in time to avoid a lethal blow to his throat.

The two remaining ninja were soon joined by other six shinobi, and Kakashi found himself surrounded once again. It was time to try _that_ move.

_'__Kurama, are you ready?' _

**"****Tch. I was ****_created_**** ready!" **

Kakashi didn't stop contemplating the bijuu's supposed creation and crouched on all-fours, allowing Kurama to gather his chakra to his back. It burned slightly his skin, but he knew he couldn't waste too much of his white energy to dull the pain – better in pain than dead, right?

The enemy shinobi dashed forward to get him, only to be met by eight chakra claws, red by both Kurama's chakra and their blood. When their hearts stopped beating, Kurama released his hold and Kakashi jumped over the earth dome to check the battlefield.

The Konoha forces seemed to gain the advantage thanks to Kushina and the other Clans' fierce fighting, while the clay dragon didn't drop bombs anymore. Kakashi narrowed his eyes and saw two shadows –most probably Jiraya and the other blonde – falling down the clay creature, before it exploded in a shower of flames.

Several shinobi glanced worriedly at the explosion before gathering chakra to their feet and anchoring themselves to the ground. The blast threw off some ninjas and destroyed another portion of the battlefield before setting the surrounding area on fire.

Kakashi was immediately hit by awful smells and he had to force himself to get there to help killing that unknown blonde – the other Konohan could hold their own against the Iwa-nin, so they didn't need his support. He wasn't going there to check if Jiraya was truly OK, nope. Just because his older self's presence could very well kill everyone else, it didn't mean he would worry over anybody.

Not at all.

His ears were greeted by the sound of clashing metal and he crouched, forcefully slowing his breathing. Skilled shinobi were usually the most unpredictable and he didn't want to take any chances with that unknown guy. He was careful not to touch the flames or stay too long on the scorched ground. Kakashi and Kurama suppressed their chakra and hid behind a boulder, miraculously still intact from the explosion.

Jiraya and the blonde were fighting with their weapons and Kakashi was sure that, if he didn't have Kurama's improved reflexes, he couldn't have seen their movements. The Sannin seemed to be saving some chakra for the next fights, while the other looked like he was putting every drop of effort in that battle.

Kakashi readied his tanto to strike and waited for the blonde to turn his back to him, so he could get him from behind. The boy quietly charged the blade with lightning chakra in case the man had some explosives still in his pockets and waited for the right moment.

Both he and Kurama discreetly winced.

**"****Hatake, don't get dispelled!" **was the bijuu's furious snarl as he untangled the Chakra clone's memories again, **"First you get stabbed, and now you depleted the chakra I gave you?!" **

Just then, the blonde turned his back completely at them and Younger Kakashi bolted from his hiding place. Now he couldn't get away!

**"****Don't do it!" **

"Stop…!" 

Time seemed to slow down.

Jiraya's eyes widened as he saw Kakashi behind the jonin, eyes red and tanto ready to strike the enemy's heart. To many, the boy was nothing but a blue blur over the scorched ground.

Tsuriji turned around when he felt a chakra flare from behind him and he instantly poised his blade to pierce the unknown shinobi's gut.

Kakashi used too much chakra to dash behind the Iwa-nin and he couldn't stop fast enough to avoid the glinting blade in the man's hand.

Kurama and Older Kakashi called out the boy too late, too busy trying to solve their problem with the Chakra clone.

And everything stilled as they felt blood seeping from their wound.

* * *

**"****It's done! It's finally done!" [cit.]**

**Yup, I finally updated! :D **

**If you want to ask about OOC decisions, it's because the Timeline can influence them and make them choose the wrong one. As you can see, fighting scenes aren't my forte. **

**So, I'm officially looking for a beta who's willing to bear with my erratic update schedule and is good at correcting fight scenes, too… even if there won't be much of them for some time :P **

**Still, if you readers want to, I can try to write Minato and Orochimaru vs A and Killer Bee… 'cause I didn't really plan on actually writing it. I might just say the fight was quite the experience, but nothing they couldn't handle. Or not…?**

**Uh... chibi Vocabulary time?**

**Gatsuga: on Narutopedia, it meant "Fang passing fang". Do you remember Kiba's jutsu in the Chuunin exam against Naruto, right? Imagine that. **

**Katon, Fuuton, Suiton, Raiton, Doton: respectively, fire, wind, water, lightning and earth style. **

**But wait...! This Chapter is OH MY GOD IS THIS +7000 words?! :O**

**...Well, at least I made up for the delay, didn't I? ;) **

**Now review, please suggest me how to correct this, ponder if you want to be my beta and, if you find my characters OC, grammar mistakes (I'm sure there are some, but I can't put my paw on where they are) or you want to write some observations, you're free to do so ;)**

**Beware of the Kitsune's rage!**

**Shiiroi Kitsune **


	22. Chapter 21: Worry

**Another Chapter, for the happiness of you readers! :D**

**Thanks to long live marshmallows, Yungsun, Prescripto13, KaiaRenkin, Guest, jleath1234, Sparksofrandomness, NarutoxHonoka, love toshiro dragon, victor, cloystreng, 1, Rose of The Wind, Becc and 'Your #1 guest fan' for their reviews! **

**Answering long live marshmallows: Yeah, this story is pretty much Chibi Kakashi-Kurama-Older Kakashi centric ;D**

**Answering KaiaRenkin: Now xD **

**Answering Guest (and 1): They'll both live, just wait till they finish the mind-merging before screaming in distress! :O They'll both live, don't worry. It's just the Timeline that wants to erase them :3**

**Answering NarutoxHonoka: you really find my battle scenes epic?! :O I'm going to blush to death if you continue like this… and I've already read the first Chapter of Naruto Gaiden XD **

**Answering My #1 guest fan: I had to finish the Chapter! D: don't eat meeee! *cough* Well, there the new one is ;D**

**Answering Becc: eheh… yeah, I think almost no one got this kind of problem XD I just had to put the battle together 'cause it seemed wrong to finish a Chapter half-way through the fight. The cliffhanger was for effect, but the fight is over when he wakes up! ;)**

**(Irregular) disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, nor Kakashi, nor Kurama, nor… anyone, really. Other than the OCs I'm putting here.**

* * *

**Chapter 21: Worry**

_A pile of rubble. A freaking pile of rubble. Random boulders, rocks, wooden planks, a roof – what the hell was a roof doing over him? – and countless other heavy objects were slowly crushing Kakashi. The weight was almost unbearable and he tried to crawl his way out. _

_The shinobi, through some miracle, managed to leave the pile mostly unscathed – only his ribs ached uncomfortably, but he wasn't exactly complaining. _

He was very surprised he could move _at all_. Bone-crushing things aside, he could never think this clearly and move during his dreams – or nightmares, it depended. He belatedly noted he felt taller, but pushed the thought away. He had dealt with much stranger things.

Also, didn't something happen before he fell asleep?

_The sky was so dark it could be described only as pitch black. No stars, no moon, nothing. There was only one light source and, in all his questionable wisdom, Kakashi decided to near the light. _

_He walked until he reached it – a bonfire. However, that wasn't what attracted his attention. _

_A corpse. A very, _very _familiar corpse. _

_Sakumo was in the same position his son found him, looking pretty much dead. _

Kakashi looked with morbid fascination as blood started seeping from the body. He ignored the strange feeling in his chest: it felt like something was gripping his heart and was steadily increasing his force to break it as slowly and painfully as possible.

He didn't like it.

_The sound of rushing water jolted his attention and Kakashi quickly jumped away, looking at the wave that crushed onto the bonfire and the corpse. He narrowed his eyes as his weight pulled him down on the water. _

_It wasn't water, he soon realized. It was _blood_. _

Kakashi felt sick and, to make matters worse, he couldn't focus chakra to his feet. He sunk into the red sea and tried not to throw up as the stench of blood and its taste filled his nose and mouth. Having a mask didn't help him very much.

_"__Kakashi…" _

He tried to open his eyes. He knew what to expect when he heard that whisper, but he couldn't see a thing. He rubbed his left eye when it started to sting.

_"__Kakashi."_

The voice sounded feminine and a little strained, but it was slowly gaining confidence and anger.

_"__Kakashi!"_

_Someone pinned him to the bottom of the bloody sea. He could feel hands – claws, some distant part of his brain supplied as long nails dug into his flesh – on his limbs, restraining him. His left eye started burning, like someone was stabbing it with a red-hot sword._

Kakashi gritted his teeth not to scream in pain. Why wasn't he waking up? Why wasn't this nightmare ending?!

_He tried to focus and he noticed three people over him, but he could see only their eyes. The nearest person in front of him had a Sharingan and some strange violet eye with concentric circles and, if Kakashi had to guess, he was grinning madly, unseen because of the darkness. There were two other people in front of him: the one on the left was short and had brown eyes, while the one on the right had a set of brightly spinning Sharingan. _

_"__You may have the Sharingan, but you won't ever reach my level." Stab. _

Kakashi almost cried out in pain. The figure with both Sharingan stabbed him in the gut with a freaking _katana_!

_"__You killed me, Kakashi." Stab. _

He whimpered as he felt another sword in his gut. Was that voice… Rin?

_"__You stole my eye," stab. "you killed her," stab. "you refused to join me." Stab. _

Kakashi didn't believe that was Obito. The idiot could never sound this heartless, emotionless, merciless. He sounded like a killer, a hardened shinobi. It couldn't be real, could it?

_"__You aren't strong enough to stop me." stab. _

_"__How dared you?" stab. _

_"__Is this your gratitude?" stab. _

Kakashi shut tightly his eyes and tried to block the pain, but it was useless. He felt every single hit as the three people kept piercing him with swords. His left eye continued to burn holes into his mind, and he couldn't decide what was worse.

_"__You'll see your comrades die again, and again, and again…" stab, stab, stab. _

_"__I deserved to live, unlike you." Stab, stab. _

_"__I shouldn't have saved you, Kakashi." Stab, stab, stab. _

The chuunin screamed in pain as the three people continued to stab him. They twisted their swords, they plunged them deeper, they thrust them in his chest, in his gut… Why couldn't he just die? Why didn't they stop?!

_"__Where were you when my son needed you?" _

Kakashi's breath caught in his throat as another voice joined the others. It couldn't be…!

_Stab. _

**OoOoOoOoO**

Kakashi woke up abruptly, gasping for air.

His left eye itched, but it wasn't nearly as painful as inside the nightmare – for which he was grateful, otherwise he would have just took it out of his socket to _stop the pain_.

However, that sensation was nothing when compared to what his internal organs felt like.

His lungs were screaming for more oxygen and blood than his heart could pump into the bloodstream, while his liver, his stomach and his insides felt like a complete mess – or like they were turned upside down, moved around and put back in his body after being cooked. But, his genius mind helpfully added, he felt like someone thought he was a puzzle, messed up his pieces and didn't bother to pull him back together, too.

In other words, he felt like throwing up.

And throwing up he did.

Just in time to be seen by a nurse.

"Oh dear!" she exclaimed, rushing to get a bucket and help him, "Stay calm, you had a really nasty injury there, but we healed it – I'm here, don't worry, you'll be fine in a moment-"

Kakashi tuned off the nurse's rambling and obvious coddling, trying instead to talk to his guests.

_'__What the hell happened…?' _

**"****You got us stabbed. Congratulations." **Kurama's voice dripped with so much dark sarcasm that Kakashi could almost feel it pooling in his stomach.

The boy mentally snorted. Yeah, he remembered that much as the nurse started rambling. It wasn't his fault the nightmare's burning pain in his gut overlapped the real one from his injury.

**"****After that," **the bijuu continued, **"I focused only on healing the wound and getting the poison out of the bloodstream – all the while without bleeding to death. You should worship me by now."**

Both Kakashis rolled their eyes, but they couldn't just dismiss his 'work' as nothing – after all, he _did_ save them. Most probably for his own interests, but at least they were alive. Still, the worshipping part was definitely a no-no.

"I think Chibi meant the dream…" 

Kurama's eyebrow twitched and he bared his fangs. **"I've already explained that, you should remember," **he grumbled irritably, **"it was before we were sent to the border. Now let me sleep and ****_don't disturb_**** me." **

He started snoring before either Hatake could speak up. They looked at each other and wisely decided to let the giant Kitsune sleep.

"-my boy, are you OK?"

"Uh?" was Kakashi's intelligent answer, before his eyes refocused on the nurse. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine."

The woman looked suspiciously at the young chuunin before telling him there were some people who wanted to meet him, now that he was awake. Kakashi didn't get the chance to say whether he wanted them in his room or not – because every single person slammed the door open.

"MY ETERNAL RIVAL!"

"Kakashi-kun, you're awake!"

"Bakakashi!"

"You gave us quite a scare, Kakashi!"

"Don't you try to pull another stunt like this on me – dattebane!"

Gai, Rin, Obito, Sarune, Kushina expressed immediately their concern, while Kurenai, Fuuyuki, Asuma, Genma, Raido, Ebisu and Anko looked worryingly at the bed-ridden boy – they didn't have any right to be in Kakashi's friends' way when they fussed over him. After all, they weren't nearly as acquainted with him.

The nurse almost tripped over the spandex-wearing boy, who instantly dashed to his rival's side. "MY RIVAL! YOUR FLAMES OF YOUTH WERE SO CLOSE TO BURN OUT!" he shouted, weeping tears of youthful concern, "BUT YOU RESISTED, AND NOW THEY BURN EVEN BRIGHTER! LET'S CELEBRATE YOUR SUCCESSFUL RECOVER WITH A YOUTHFUL SPAR-"

"Alright, alright Gai, we understand you're glad he's OK," Sarune helpfully shut the genin's mouth as she said this, "but Kakashi needs to rest – which means no strenuous activity." 'To shut Gai up' went unspoken, but the enthusiastic boy clearly thought it was for the spar.

Rin nodded. "You should rest for at least a week before training again," she spoke, "because the injury might reopen again and the poison damaged the heart." When she saw the others' apprehensive looks, Rin appeared startled. "I-It isn't permanent! With the proper cures it'll heal in a week, two at worse!"

Sarune and Fuuyuki agreed, nodding. "Exactly, there's nothing to worry about," the latter confirmed, "now that Kakashi is at the Hospital, he'll be fine in no time!"

"After seeing his healing rate," everyone turned to look at Sarune, "Kakashi will heal up in less than a week. The poison didn't get the chance to do irreparable damage."

Obito snickered –or was it a half-sob?-, "You always get poisoned and we _always worry_ about you – and then you return like nothing happened at all, Bakakashi!" He punched lightly his teammate's shoulder, even though the medics glared at him for it.

It was weird the Uchiha openly showed his concern, though. Kakashi, Rin and Sarune looked strangely at Obito before shrugging it off – it was normal that, after a life-threatening situation, teammates would become closer.

"Maybe I can specialize in poison and antidotes," Rin eventually pondered out loud, "so we don't have to rush you here every time you get poisoned – can I, Sarune-shishou?" She looked hopefully at her teacher, who seemed startled for a moment before agreeing.

"Kashi-chaaaaan, are you ogling at _someone_?" Kushina grinned madly, looking pointedly at Kakashi and glancing not-so-subtly at one violet-haired Anko.

"No," was his instant answer, "I just… don't know why she's here." It was a lame excuse, but it was better than saying, "I see her corpse with snake bites all over her deathly pale skin." _Definitely _better.

The girl blinked. "I heard you were here by Kurenai," she answered, "and I… wanted to see if you were… OK, I guess." After a second, she noticed the looks she got and huffed. "Girls, don't look at me like _that_!"

Kurenai giggled before speaking up, "I was told about you by Fuuyuki-sensei-"

"-because I saw Sarune-"

"-while I was being dragged to the Hospital by Kushina-"

"-because you were poisoned – _dattebane_!"

"So, basically, Kushina and Sarune rushed us to the Hospital, Fuuyuki-san saw them and told her Team who eventually told Anko," Older Kakashi summed up, before sighing, "Women." That word held so much resignation that his younger counterpart wondered about what kinds of women would trouble his life.

"Gai hauled us there with his 'youthful energy' because your 'flames of youth' were 'burning out'," Genma answered to Kakashi's questioning gaze, "today is our day off, Gai saw Fuuyuki-sensei's team and we eventually got here." Ebisu snorted from his right side in agreement.

"Yeah, we were worried about you when we heard of your injury – and damn, you got poisoned?" Asuma shook his head. "There was _no way_ we weren't going to visit you."

Before someone else could speak up after Asuma, Kakashi decided to ask what was buzzing in his head for a while, "What happened after I got stabbed?"

The people in the room shared uncomfortable looks before Sarune eventually started talking, "Jiraya-taicho didn't tell me much about who stabbed you – I just know he's dead."

Kakashi allowed himself a sigh of relief. At least his opponent didn't survive.

"Taicho rushed where you and Kushina-san took the injured – Rin, Obito, I and other shinobi were there, as well." Here she shuddered a little, before lowering her voice to a whisper, "You were almost bleeding to death when we saw you. If we weren't nearby, you would have died."

**"…****If ****_I _****wasn't there he would have died just as he got stabbed," **Kurama felt the need to grumble from his sleeping spot, like he knew someone was talking about him and claiming the merits.

"Jiraya-taicho told me to heal you, then he flashed away-"

"-to tell me about what happened," Kushina piped up from her seat on Kakashi's left side, "He immediately started fighting in my place before ordering me to get there – 'to protect them more,' he said, since you are practically a _chakra beacon_."

The kids raised an eyebrow at the strange words, not understanding why he should be a 'chakra beacon'. Instead, both Kakashis obviously understood: being Jinchuuriki, their chakra signature was stronger than normal ones – and they had to add Iwa's interest to get him alive, as well. They could understand why Jiraya instantly told Kushina about his injury. He needed someone who would protect Kakashi and the other people at all costs, strong enough to actually do it and trusted blindly by the Sannin.

Sarune got everyone's attention again, clearing her throat. "As I was saying, I immediately started healing you and noticed you were poisoned, too. I recognized the venom as a nasty one, which attacks mainly heart and the chakra core." She grimaced, remembering what happened. "No one had the antidote, but we couldn't get it out of your bloodstream without making you bleed to death."

Rin and Obito shuddered as the iryo-nin said it. They didn't like thinking about what could have been of their teammate if he wasn't that insanely lucky to make it out alive.

"The nearest medical supplies were on the second line," Sarune continued, "but the explosives blew them up. We could heal you from the gut wound, although it was difficult – but we didn't have any means to get the poison out."

"So I decided to take you to Konoha, where we were sure the antidote was," Kushina declared, sounding both pround and nervous, "some of the other medics shut down my idea, saying it would have taken too much time – but they were damn wrong, dattebane!"

"I went with Kushina-san to stabilize your condition as we got there," the medic added, looking like she would strangle said woman if she spoke again, then sighed. "We rushed you to the Hospital in two days of almost non-stop travel at jonin-speed – frankly, I'm still incredulous you survived this long without permanent damage. Or alive, for that matter."

That comment earned some half-hearted glares, but they couldn't fault her here. Kakashi could have died very easily, if what they knew about the poison was true – and, most probably, it was. As a medic, Sarune knew when someone was going to die, no matter how much she wanted them to live or how much she tried to save them.

But Kakashi defied her worst expectations, making it out alive.

"…Does Minato-sensei know about this?"

Kushina shook her head. "No, he doesn't – and I don't think he'll receive the news before three or four days from now." She sighed, "But it's up to the Hokage sending the updates to the frontlines." Her pinched expression was enough to tell him what she thought about it.

The room fell unexpectedly silent – until the clock ticked eight o'clock.

"Visitors' time is over!" a nurse called from the corridor, "Everyone, leave the patients alone!"

* * *

Eventually, everyone left Kakashi's hospital room. Kinda.

_'…__They were worried.' _

"I would be surprised if they weren't," his older self snorted, "after all, we almost died. And, what's worse, it may happen again – but to one of them."

Silence.

"Actually, scratch that – it _will_ happen, and we need to be ready for it."

He nodded. _'Yeah.' _

Silence fell again. They were shinobi of few words, but Older Kakashi eventually spoke up.

"Do you want to know what happened to Anko?"

The boy looked incredulously at him. He wasn't expecting his older self to share that information – or be willing to do so, for that matter. Why was his one-eyed self asking him?

_'…__It's better knowing more than necessary than not knowing enough.' _

Older Kakashi nodded and sat down in the library-like mindscrape. "Well… you already know that there was the Fourth Shinobi War, right?" At his past self reluctant nod, he continued. "There were several people missing, and Anko was one of them. Sasuke – one of my students – took us where he had last seen her."

_'__Us who?'_

"Uh… me, Naruto, Sakura and Sai. We had the mission to find some missing people, and Sasuke told us he knew were Anko was supposed to be." He disregarded the fact his younger self didn't know who Sai was and continued talking, although his tone became pained. "There was a cave. A cave where Sasuke fought against the Snake Sage. Anko was poisoned and… she didn't make it, even though Sakura was an excellent medic."

Both Kakashis instantly put 'poisons' in the first positions of their hate list.

_'__So it was this Sage who killed her, right?' _Chibi Kakashi asked, looking suspiciously at the chakra ghost. Sasuke was on Konoha's side, he fought against this Snake Sage, Anko was poisoned…

Wait. Snake, poison, Anko?

His eyes widened in realization and horror. _'O-Orochimaru… killed her…?' _

Older Kakashi looked away. It was enough for him to guess the answer.

The chuunin leaned back and tried to calm down. His guests already told him Orochimaru would become a nukenin, try to destroy Konoha and do horrible experiments, but… for some reason, knowing he would kill Anko disturbed him more.

Doing experiments? He wanted to discover more about people's limits and his own, of course.

Becoming a nukenin? Orochimaru clearly didn't want to be imprisoned when he got caught experimenting, and if the Hokage wanted him either dead or captured, fleeing from Konoha was the only 'clever' choice.

Trying to destroy Konoha? Being a madman, the Snake Sannin was ought to give it a try.

These decisions were at least logic, no matter how wrong they were. Hell, even Kakashi could find a reason for them – not justifications, of course, but Orochimaru's choices had some rational thinking behind them. He was a crazy madman, not stupid.

But killing _Anko_, his apprentice? Disregarding all the training they had done, capturing her and – who knows? – maybe even experimenting on her? Training and fighting together could build bonds between people, Kakashi knew. He knew that, and he tried to avoid his teammates for that reason.

Bonds were useless at best and lethal at worst.

And yet, Orochimaru – the only one who could become a Snake Sage – killed his apprentice, even though he had a bond with her, no matter how fragile.

Kakashi knew that Minato-sensei would never kill him.

He knew that Jiraya-sama would never kill Minato-sensei.

He knew that Sandaime-sama would never kill Jiraya-sama or Orochimaru.

How could a teacher _kill _his own_ student_?

* * *

As Kushina left his office, the Hokage couldn't help but sigh.

_That _was a close call.

He thought that, with Kushina and Jiraya, Minato's students wouldn't get hurt. They would have gotten experience, a glimpse of what happened on Hi no Kuni's borders, and even help their comrades. Kami knew how much Kakashi needed to let go of the Shinobi Rules, or how much Obito and Rin needed confidence and feeling useful.

The Sandaime didn't expect this.

Alright, Kakashi _did_ help – but he almost got killed. He had faced several enemy jonin and even their captain, Tsuriji Iwari of the Explosion Corps. All the while making it out alive.

Kushina reported that Kurama had to possess his body for a while, and he helped her with all he got. With the bijuu in his gut, Kakashi was now able to perform fire jutsu (the Hokage already knew that, since the boy _did_ teach Obito a Katon), a particular lightning jutsu – of which Kushina nor Sandaime heard anything about – and use 'chakra claws' to attack and protect. The Hokage had received the report from Team Hound about these, but he didn't think Kakashi could acquire so much control over them in so little time.

Fortunately, he had Kurama helping him along the way.

And it was thanks to him that Kakashi survived at all – Sarune had expressed her surprise at his survival, since she knew that poison could kill an adult, healthy jonin within a day. And Kami – a gut wound of that gravity would have killed Kakashi on the spot, had he been anything but a Jinchuuriki.

Nothing of that would have happened if Eikuro didn't retreat so far.

But what was done was done – Kushina and Sarune saved Kakashi, Rin and Obito insisted to come back and now the Sandaime had to give his new orders. Without forgetting to send a letter to Minato of course, since he had the right to know what happened.

And maybe he should talk to Kurama, check the seal – hoping the bijuu would let him do so – for clues about the mysterious sealer (and genjutsu-user companion), assign missions, receive reports, talk to his teammates about this development, organize undercover missions, arrange some teams to send on the joint attack with Suna against Iwa…

Oh, _that_. He couldn't believe the Sand village actually accepted his proposal.

Suna reluctantly agreed to work with Konoha and attack Iwa, passing through Ame. It didn't seem a really good idea to the Hokage – after all, Hanzo the Salamander could have killed his students, instead of naming them 'the Sannin' – but it wasn't his duty to assure the Suna troops got there alive. Konoha wouldn't pass through Ame; if Suna wanted to do it, they were more than welcome.

He sighed again. His job was never done, but it was necessary for Konoha to prosper.

* * *

_The day after_

"Can I go now?"

The nurse frowned, glancing occasionally at the boy's face. She ignored his sixth question –not so different from the five before – and continued checking his wound and the level of toxins in his bloodstream, but she kept getting the same result.

All clear.

Not that she was complaining, but _'all clear'_? After only a day of rest at the Hospital?

She prodded at the healed injury with a little of her chakra and frowned further. How was it possible his cells recreated the missing tissue _in a night_? The nurse checked his medical file more than once to be sure, but nothing was out of norm – other than his healing rate, obviously.

_Hatake Kakashi, ten-year-old, chuunin (her eyebrows hit the hairline at that), recovered the night before in critical conditions. Lacerations on both intestines, the liver and the right kidney, major blood loss, slightly overloaded chakra system. No infections found. Poisoned by the Yukari venom of Iwa. _

_Treatment: injected the antidote and given two blood sacks '0' to stabilize the healing. Used chakra healing to close the wound and repair the organs. Subject is to rest for at least three days, a week to return training. _

_Medics responsible: jonin Fuuma Sarune, nurse Nymi, nurse Kotaru. _

"…but the wound isn't _that_ bad."

The nurse jolted to attention as she heard the boy mutter behind her. When did he get there? The woman closed his medical file and looked pointedly at her patient. "Listen up, I don't want trouble for letting you go before it was due," she declared, "so you won't go anywhere, Kakashi-kun."

He scowled at her answer, but didn't say anything as she signed the medical file and put it back on his bed's side.

"And what do I do now?" he muttered moodily when the woman put her hand on the doorknob.

A pause. "You wait until the wound heals completely."

"But-"

_SLAM! _

"…but it's already healed."

Kakashi sighed. Why were nurses this paranoid? He was fine, damn it, she checked more than once! Was it a crime letting him go before Sarune-san said so?

His older self chuckled a _little_ too gleefully. "Oh, I have a plan, don't worry…"

_'…__Do I really want to know it?' _

"Of course," was his confident answer, "because it will allow us to leave the Hospital undetected!" He gave his younger self a bright thumbs-up, making a certain spandex-wearing man in the future very pround. "Are you with me?!"

The boy looked at the metaphorically-extended limb and weighted his choices. Hospital or village?

* * *

Boar, Hound, Cat and Owl looked at each other.

_"__Orders?" _ The three of them signaled to their captain, no doubt frowning slightly behind their masks. Should they force the kid to remain inside, or should they just let him jump out of the window?

Hound sighed noiselessly. _"Follow the target," _he signaled back, _"do not engage." _

Team Hound disappeared from their spots in the now empty Hospital room and roof-hopped near their objective.

As they scanned the crowd, they noticed some people looked suspiciously at the boy while a lot of shinobi glared at him. They didn't mutter much, but their words were dripping hatred – if speeches could kill, the chuunin would have died a hundred times over.

The people were still too blind.

_"__Taicho," _Cat spiked his chakra to get his captain's attention. _"Target has irregular chakra." _

Hound tensed. _"Dangerous?" _

Cat shook his head. _"Negative. Suspicious, but negative." _

_"__Be clearer," _Owl signaled to his teammate. Cat was a sensor-nin, they knew, but sometimes it was hard for him to be clear and they had to remind him of it. 'Irregular' could mean a thousand things when it came to chakra, and with their target's case it was even more important knowing precisely how irregular it was.

The ANBU stopped for a moment on a roof. _"Support chakra is low," _he tried to communicate with hand-signals, _"main chakra very active." _Cat seemed tempted to swear in annoyance and anger. Signaling what he was sensing was problematic since the ANBU code language wasn't normally used to communicate thing like this.

Hound blinked. That was it? The 'support chakra' (aka the bijuu's) was lower than normal, while their target's chakra was more active? What the hell was the problem?

Cat seemed to hesitate before signaling, _"Permission to speak, taicho?" _

_"__Allowed." _

He almost sighed in relief. "The support chakra feels like it's dormant, gathering energy," he spoke, "while his chakra core seems to have split up in two – both parts are active, but they seem to clash constantly. The support chakra was separating those sides."

The other ANBU's eyebrows shot up. A split chakra core? That was impossible – no living being survived with a split chakra core! How could their target have it and still run away from the Hospital?

"But maybe I'm wrong."

Yeah, they all knew what the chances of that were. But still, what were the odds of a split –and most likely unstable – chakra core?

Was it a collateral effect of the seal? Was it an effect of the poison and the bijuu's chakra together? The medics _did_ find a slightly overloaded chakra system, after all – maybe the poison damaged the core while the bijuu was repairing it, maybe creating an error in the normal flow.

But then, why didn't anyone notice it?

_"__Report to the Hokage," _Hound signaled to Boar, who instantly disappeared with a Shunshin. Owl knew some iryo-jutsu, while Cat was the team's sensor – it was better if they remained near their target.

* * *

The Sandaime interrupted his work as Boar appeared inside his office. He signaled the other ANBU in the room to leave until the barrier lowered and activated the privacy seals before he prompted the man to speak.

"Target has a probably split chakra core," Boar reported tonelessly, "while the support chakra is dormant. It was separating the two parts, but now it isn't."

The Hokage frowned. "What is Kakashi's condition right now?" he demanded, worry seeping into his voice. First a possibly-rampaging demon, an unknown faulted seal, trouble with the Uchiha Clan, returning half-dead to Konoha and now he had a _split chakra core_?!

Boar hesitated. "He seems to be fine. The iryo nin wrote only 'slightly overloaded chakra system', but there's nothing about the split chakra core. We suspect it's a collateral effect of the seal and the poison."

The Sandaime nodded and leaned back on his chair, forcing himself to appear calmer than he felt. Boar's suspicion made sense – the Yukari venom affected the chakra core, and combining it with a faulted seal, overloaded chakra coils and a bijuu… it shouldn't have been a surprise this happened.

But how did this happen was still a mystery – and the answer lied inside the same faulted seal.

It seemed he had to talk to the Kyuubi imitator rather soon.

* * *

_'__Where are we going now?' _

A shrug. "We could visit someone while Kurama sleeps," the chakra ghost answered, then glanced at the bijuu beside him. "I won't be the one who'll wake him up, so I guess training is out of question."

Chibi Kakashi raised an eyebrow. _'Training is never out of question.'_

"Oh, it can."

_'__It cannot.' _

"Yes."

'No.'

"Yes-"

"Hatake Kakashi."

The boy abruptly stopped walking as he heard a firm voice calling him. An ANBU operative – Hound, Older Kakashi recognized the man's mask – landed beside him in a nearly empty street.

"Hokage-sama wants to see you immediately," was Hound's deadpan as he extended his arm to the chuunin, "I'll teleport us there."

He narrowed slightly his eyes in suspicion – why would the Hokage summon him, instead of sending him straight to the Hospital again? – before reluctantly touching the ANBU's hand and allowing him to teleport.

* * *

**A chapter to ease your worry about Kakashi's condition! :D**

**…****or not, since Kurama is sleeping on the job and the mind merging is faster. **

**Oh, and I was thinking… would you want me to put a list of the OCs that might return? Because I put a lot of them into this story, I don't know if you are OK with this or if you'd like a little… summary, I guess. **

**Why did Older Kakashi say immediately what happened to Anko and lied? 'Cause now Younger Kakashi doesn't think about Minato's "where were you when my son needed you?" and will be warier of Orochimaru. And, by 'Snake Sage', Older Kakashi meant Kabuto – but Chibi Kakashi doesn't need to know that… more or less :O **

**An explanation of the dream? The rubble is Konoha after Pein's invasion, the boulders are from the fight on the border. The bonfire is from the whole meeting-Tousan-in-the-Afterlife, while the corpse is Chibi Kakashi's last memory of his father. The blood is a mental representation of his own bleeding almost to death. Older Obito, Rin and Itachi are partially from Older Kakashi's guilt for letting them die-killing them-not being enough to save them, while the stabbing swords were from his memory of Itachi's Tsukuyomi. Minato, well… he added himself.**

**The next Chapter will contain Kurama, Sandaime, a technical explanation of the seal and… well, I won't say more of what I have in store xD But I'll answer your questions in the next Chapter! :D**

**(…still waiting for someone who wants to correct this story…) **

**Beware of the Kitsune's rage!**

**Shiiroi Kitsune**


	23. Chapter 22: A talk with the Kyuubi

**O-O-One UP! :D **

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* * *

**Chapter 22: A Talk with The Kyuubi**

"Hokage-sama." Kakashi bowed as the ANBU disappeared from the office.

The older man nodded. "Good morning, Kakashi-kun. How are you?" He asked with a small – probably meant to be reassuring – smile.

"I'm fine, Hokage-sama. The injury is healed and I'm not poisoned anymore."

Although relieved to hear this from the boy himself, the Sandaime couldn't help but ask, "So you are sure you're _perfectly_ fine?"

A slight hesitation. "Yes."

"That's why you left the Hospital without anyone's permission," he stated, not missing the subtle twitch in Kakashi's stance. He closed his eyes and sighed. "However, some minutes earlier I got a report – which said your chakra core was most likely split and unstable."

The boy tensed. "Hokage-sama, I'm fine," Kakashi repeated, still trying to look like the emotionless soldier he was supposed to be, "And… I don't feel anything different in my chakra or in my core. Why should it be split?"

"That's what I thought at first, as well," the Sandaime stood up, "but then… we don't know how your seal affects you, or what the Kyuubi imitator did while no one could have checked." At Kakashi's uncertain stare, he explained, "I suspect the bijuu might have interfered with your chakra's normal flow when the poison started damaging the chakra core. But, since no one knows exactly how the seal works, I need to analyze it. May I?"

Kakashi's eyes turned unfocused – most probably to talk with the bijuu – for a moment. After a few seconds, he winced and seemed tempted to cover his ears, like someone was shouting right into them.

The Sandaime waited, looking hopefully at the boy and willing the Kyuubi imitator to allow him to check the seal without struggling. Not that the Hokage couldn't just take the seal Jiraya had made and force the bijuu to remain still, but that wasn't really good in the long run. Kurama had saved Kakashi and several other Konoha shinobi from death, aiding them with all he's got and helping them win the battle – betraying whatever trust the bijuu had in Konoha was just a _plain_ _bad idea_.

Kakashi had a faraway look for several moments before he snapped back to reality. "Hokage-sama," he started, frowning, "Kurama… is OK with it… but he doesn't want any of the Elders or any suspicious people to know how the seal works."

A pause. "He said it's the price for knowledge and… he's willing to explain some of its parts… if this will build some trust between you and him, Hokage-sama." The boy didn't seem very happy to be the medium between Kurama and the Sandaime.

The older man frowned. Why shouldn't he tell the Elders how the seal worked? They might not be fuinjutsu masters, but this way they would calm down a little. Ever since the Hokage sent Team Minato on missions, they always complained about how the other countries could get their hands on the bijuu, how they could lose an important asset to win the war and what could happen if the Kyuubi imitator decided to break the seal and wreak havoc on their land.

If they knew something about the seal, they would hold their horses. The Sandaime didn't have the time to give them Kushina and Sarune's report yet: he had to organize the teams to send against Iwa in the joint attack and a million other things, which took a lot of his time; so his teammates didn't know about Kurama's will to help them. And even then, they would say it was just 'to lull them into a sense of security to strike when we last expect it.'

These days, Danzo really liked shouting, "How are you sure that demon won't raze Konoha to the ground?" and, "You can't prove with absolute certainty that demon won't break the seal!" The Sandaime had only his gut instinct – which never failed him, not once in his life – and Team Hound's reports, which confirmed every day his theories about Kurama.

It was time to have them confirmed by the bijuu himself.

"If this isn't too much of a problem for you," he spoke, "I'd like Kurama to talk directly to me. But before checking the seal, I would ask him some questions. Is that OK?"

Another tense pause. "Yes."

With that, Kakashi closed his eyes and bowed slightly his head. His hair covered his eyes for a moment before he raised once again his head to reveal who was speaking now. The blood-red eyes with slitted pupils were clue enough.

**"****What is it?" **

"Why shouldn't I tell my teammates about your seal?"

Kurama narrowed his eyes at the Elders' mention. **"I don't trust them," **was his answer, **"because I saw them through Kit's memories. They are way too suspicious for me to have ****_any faith_**** in them." **

The Sandaime searched for any moment in which Kakashi met the Elders and almost face-palmed. The bijuu probably saw the memories after Sakumo's death, when they talked about what to do with the newly-orphaned six-year-old boy like he wasn't in the room.

Well, he couldn't fault for his distrust in them. If they treated a little boy like an object, who knew what they would do to Kurama if they knew how to tamper the seal or completely close it.

He nodded. "Alright. Do you know who sealed you in Kakashi-kun?"

**"…****He was covered completely by a black cloak – long sleeves, a hood and a ****_damn whole-face mask,_****" **Kurama growled, sounding very much like he wanted to tear this man apart, **"… but I don't know who he was." **His voice turned more annoyed than angry. For what reason, the Hokage would never know.

_Was?_ "He already died?"

Kurama seemed to smirk. **"I just have a feeling he won't return from his grave," **was his enigmatic answer. His eyes sparkled with blatant glee, like it wasn't just a sensation. How much did the bijuu know about this mysterious sealer?

Still, there were a lot of other questions to ask. "Were there more people when you were sealed?"

**"****No." **This time the reply was immediate. **"There was only that man." **

The Hokage frowned all the same. So their man hunt was for nothing, since the fuinjutsu user died and no one else was with him? But then, how could someone bring a bijuu, break into Kakashi's apartment, seal said bijuu into said boy while performing a high-level genjutsu to keep him sleeping? And having enough chakra to erase all traces of his presence before escaping and avoiding capture!

"Wasn't there a genjutsu user, or a tracking expert?" the Sandaime asked, "Because no one found any traces of this man's presence and – as Minato-san reported – Kakashi-kun was caught in a genjutsu, which presented itself like a nightmare."

A long, tense pause followed his question. **"That man was mainly a genjutsu user," **he eventually replied, **"but he could teleport, as well. That can explain the lack of trails. I don't know much more about him, and they're all suspicions." **

…What? In all his life, the only teleport he knew that left minimal chakra traces was the Hiraishin – and even then, only Tobirama-sensei and Minato knew how to correctly perform it. The Forbidden Scroll held the basic components for the Hiraishin seal, but someone had to have a fuinjutsu master close or be one himself to make it his own.

But to take the Forbidden Scroll undetected, which was guarded every day and every night by at least two ANBU teams, someone had to already know the Hiraishin _and_ have one of his seals near the scroll. The Shunshin would immediately alert every ANBU agent and, unless someone helped the mysterious man, he couldn't have gotten his hands on the Hiraishin.

Or maybe, someone could think the man picked one of Minato's marked kunai and analyzed it. But the seal was designed to be used only by Minato, and the Hokage knew the blonde would never leave his marked kunai around without hiding them. Also, his reaction when Kakashi was turned into a Jinchuuriki was too genuine, and he was far too loyal to sell his prized jutsu to a complete stranger.

But the mysterious man was a genjutsu user, too. What if he controlled someone to get the basic components?

Who could have been his target? Minato, Jiraya –who helped his student with the first basics of the seal –, maybe even the Hokage. He could have controlled an ANBU, three at most (the limit for an average Uchiha to control jonin-level ninjas without them breaking the genjutsu) to hand him the Scroll – but there were always at least eight ANBU to avoid something like this, and the Sandaime would have noticed if the Forbidden Scroll was suddenly missing.

He sighed. Kurama's information just brought him to an impossibly moot point, although closer to the truth. Did it even matter, if the culprit was dead?

Yes, a thousand times yes. A man like that couldn't have been working alone, or without a very good reason. A Hidden Village, a powerful nukenin organization, a strange event out of their control, who knew what would threaten Konoha?

Still, there was another question he wanted to ask. "Why are you helping us?"

**"****Reasons." **

The Hokage raised an eyebrow. That answer didn't help much.

**"****That man," **he started replying, rolling his eyes, **"preferred staying hidden until he could strike. He let others do all the dirty work, while he moved the strings behind everyone. My… sealing is one of the rare times he stepped in to continue his plans." **The bijuu narrowed his eyes as he spoke.

**"****He most likely wanted me to rampage in Konoha, that fool." **he snorted, somewhat amused by the Hokage's tense posture. **"But now I'm foiling his plans by helping you, and I'm content with that. I get to live away from that man's… ****_associates_**** and in a comfortable seal – not like being free, but it's the most I'll get without power-hungry morons constantly after me." **

Self-preservation. The Kyuubi imitator wanted to live without the mysterious sealer's lackeys on his back.

Well, the Hokage should have expected something like that. Being away from a dangerous foe, not following anyone's orders, not being forcefully controlled and living under a village's protection, with the only price of his chakra and collaboration. For a bijuu, it was like giving candies to get gold.

Only error in his reasoning, there were still 'power-hungry morons' constantly after him. The Sandaime didn't receive any spying reports from any of the borders, but he was sure there were other armies waiting to find and capture Kakashi – and only because he was unlucky enough to become a Jinchuuriki.

Which brought to the questions – who were the sealer's associates? Where were they? Were they working for a Shinobi Nation or for their own interests? Were they as dangerous as their leader – was he even the leader? When did the sealer die, and by whose hands?

"Do you know anything about this man's associates, or how you know he died?"

**"…****They'll continue his plans," **Kurama eventually replied, **"but they won't appear in broad daylight just like that. About his death… the control he tried to exert over me has ended, and I think that's clue enough." **He smirked haughtily, looking self-gloating at his resistance against said control. Or was it because the man died?

Regardless, the bijuu was relatively happy, and that was good. Happy bijuu meant not-rampaging bijuu, after all.

"Alright. Now, can I check the seal?"

* * *

The Sandaime decided to draw the seal on paper, knowing it would be awkward for Kakashi and annoying for Kurama to take off the shirt and, occasionally, explain something about the seal.

The spiral was the blatant evidence of a massive chakra-containing seal – it was something the Uzumaki Clan had invented to seal the bijuu and that neighboring countries adopted or, in Iwa and Kumo's cases, stole when the village was destroyed.

Three tail-like streaks departed from said spiral, one of them reaching the lower ribs while the other two reached the hips. There were six strings of kanji combined with unknown signs, all of them etched onto Kakashi's skin like a curse, revealed only by his flowing chakra. The Sandaime could recognize the kanji for 'confine' and 'stabilize', often followed by the one for 'chakra'.

It was a very unusual seal, he had to admit. Probably because it was purposefully faulted and no one ever created something like this until now.

The Hokage frowned. It was built on the base of a _nine-way seal_, something akin to a legend – very few suspected it has been buried under Uzushio's ruins long ago, but nobody ever brought proof of its existence. As far as anyone knew, neither Kushina nor a single soul had access to this knowledge.

Many tried to remake the seal, but no one succeeded. It seemed this type of seal, although useful, was something taught only to a restricted group of Uzumaki hand-picked by Mito herself – but nobody alive could confirm this information.

And there it was, a faulted seal reconstructed on the base of the nine-way seal.

The Sandaime looked more closely at it. Originally, the three streaks were supposed to be confining sequences to lock tightly the bijuu's chakra inside the seal. But this mysterious dead sealer, to leave an opening, erased those sequences and added the tail-like traits, somehow keeping the balance within the seal.

…Wait. The seal wasn't balanced in _any_ situation. The confining and stabilizing sequences were altered and left other openings for the bijuu's chakra to filter through them and into Kakashi's chakra system. It was up to Kurama deciding how much energy would flow into the coils.

It was a seal that relied almost completely on the bijuu inside. Who in his right mind would ever create something like this?

**"****So?" **

"It sure is a unique seal."

Kurama snorted and _damn _if it looked strange on Kakashi's masked face. **"It gives me all the control I want until I release more than three tails of my chakra. That's when the confining sequences start doing their job." **

The Sandaime narrowed his eyes at the seal drawn in front of him. It made sense: three sequences were erased, and technically the nine-way seal was supposed to hold the Kyuubi – at least, that's what Tobirama-sensei told him once – so there was one sequence per tail. In this case, there were six combinations out of nine.

"If those six confining and stabilizing sequences were properly working," the Hokage questioned, "you shouldn't be able to use more than three tails, right?"

A nod answered him.

"But, since they are altered, you can force more chakra and break them rather easily."

He didn't like it one bit, but he could understand why it was such a hazardous seal. Created purposefully to release the bijuu and difficult to seal completely – after all, it was supposed to have nine confining sequences and, instead, there were six. It would take several weeks, if not more, to design another seal capable of completely cut off Kurama's chakra with absolute certainty.

Not that it was necessary right now, but who could tell?

"What happens when someone controls you again?" Because, face it, if the unknown enemies could hide Kurama for so long before sealing him with the purpose of destroying Konoha, they would try to control him again. And the Sandaime couldn't keep Kakashi safe from harm forever.

**"****In this ****_unfortunate_**** eventuality," **Kurama answered, smirking, **"the stabilizing sequences would gather Kakashi's chakra to break the control, while the confining sequences would suppress my energy. They immediately lock up when foreign chakra tries to infiltrate the seal, isn't this ****_neat_****?" **

The Sandaime muttered something that suspiciously sounded like, "Something less to worry about," and Kurama contently looked at the man. He was trying to untangle the seal's mystery by himself, but the man had to ask questions every now and then.

Kurama smirked. No human mind ever comprehended the full functions of the seal after Mito Uzumaki, the one who designed it. It was said she taught her Fuinjutsu knowledge to other people, and yes, she did: but nobody ever reached her level, and whoever learned from her didn't get the chance to teach other people.

And as Kurama changed Jinchuuriki, he expanded his knowledge – Kushina studied Fuinjutsu too, since it was an Uzumaki tradition. And with the Nidaime and the Sandaime Hokage, new seals were created and the study of this art continued, trying to find out what was the seals' limit.

Naruto tried really, really hard to study Fuinjutsu with Jiraya, but his brain wasn't developed enough to hold so much knowledge at the time. Only after the war Kurama started helping him in this delicate art – which required a good calligraphy, memory, logic and a lot of patience.

Naruto had neither but, somehow, Kurama managed to knock some of them into his thick skull. From then on, everyone had to check more than once to be sure there wasn't any experimental seal on their propriety. Konoha had never been so colorful until that day…

After becoming Hokage, Naruto decided to create a seal to allow Kurama and his supposed siblings a relative freedom within their Jinchuuriki. 'Why didn't they just let them free?' someone could ask. Well, it seemed the civilians were still utterly frightened of the bijuu, and demanded them to be sealed again.

The Gokage managed to resolve the bijuu and the civilians' issues only with the promise of a new seal, which allowed more 'freedom' for whoever was sealed inside (as the bijuu had asked), but would stop said creature from escaping on a whim or because of someone else's control (as the civilians wanted). Only those who knew the key could break the seal – namely, Kurama and Naruto.

* * *

While the Sandaime kept analyzing their work, the two Hatake were getting restless.

_'__It's wrong lying to Hokage-sama,' _the younger stated, _'this is against the rules, and… why didn't you just say the truth?' _His tone was both miffed and almost scolding, and Kurama couldn't help but smirk.

**"****I said half-truths to recreate a story. He filled the gaps by himself, so technically I didn't lie to him," **was the bijuu's mental answer.

"Still, you sealed yourself in mini-me, not that 'masked man'," Older Kakashi added, ignoring said 'mini-me's scowl. "but, well… are you sure saying 'the control was broken' is a good idea? The seal was created – at least, that's what the Rokudaime told me – to prevent anyone from exerting control over the bijuu inside. If Sandaime-sama discovers this function (and I think he will), what will you say?"

**"****Simple." **Kurama rested his head on his paws languidly. **"The 'masked man' didn't want anyone contending their control over me, so he added this function on the seal. Since he's the one who sealed me, the seal won't detect his as 'foreign chakra' and thus allowing him and only him control." **

_'__I still think it's wrong…' _

"Hokage-sama will think this man was working for another Hidden Village," Older Kakashi insisted, narrowing his eye at the giant fox, "and he'll send teams to investigate this for nothing! Konoha will waste manpower on something that never existed!"

Kurama raised his tails threateningly. **"Would you rather reveal the whole truth?!" **he snarled furiously, irritated by the Hatake's poor faith in him. **"Would you rather tell him the 'split chakra core' is your energy merging with the Kit's? Or maybe that this wasn't supposed to happen, and everyone around us could die because of our presence?!" **

"I didn't mean-"

**"****You should thank me I invented this cover story on the fly right after you woke ****_me_**** up, instead of blaming my decisions! And didn't you think about the Timeline's actions?!" **

"Exactly!" he exclaimed indignantly, "The Timeline would make Konoha lose the war if we take away the teams from the battlefield!"

**"****You're****_ wrong_****! The Timeline tries to adjust itself, but the most important events will remain as they were – and this includes Konoha's victory!" **Kurama crashed one of his tails on the spot where, just a second ago, stood the time-traveller.

The bijuu was in a really bad mood, but he had to keep at least a calm façade in front of the Sandaime. If the Hokage started suspecting something was wrong, then they were going straight to T&amp;I or, even worse, into Danzo's clutches and the ROOT program.

Tsunade's files, the ANBU corps, Kakashi himself, whoever and whatever Naruto could take information from – everyone and everything confirmed that, during the Third Shinobi War, some 'unstable shinobi' suddenly disappeared. There wasn't anything about them for more than a decade, until they mysteriously reappeared with a cursed mark, a 'the-mission-is-all-that-matters' mindset and a thorough brainwashing.

Needless to say, Kurama and both Kakashis didn't want to be one of those 'unstable shinobi'.

Younger Kakashi opened his mental mouth to speak, but was cut off by the Sandaime's voice.

"Is there something wrong?" the man asked, eyeing suspiciously the boy in front of him. He still had the paper in his hands, but his whole attention was focused only on Kakashi.

**"****Ah, nothing. Just thinking," **Kurama deadpanned with the slightest hint of embarrassment. Damn, he should have kept his chakra as still as possible instead of shouting at the Hatake. But _hey_, they woke him up suddenly. What did they expect?

The Sandaime looked suspiciously at him for another second before announcing, "I've figured most of the seal out. It's complex, I admit, and it seems there is something else confined in there that caused Kakashi-kun's chakra core to split. What is it?"

**"****It's a part of the stabilizing sequences," **Kurama half-lied, **"which absorbed a little of Kit's chakra, allowed me to filter my energy and prevented his coils to, you know, be damaged." **It was mostly true, fortunately: there _was_ a part of the stabilizing sequences that contained _Older_ Kakashi's remaining chakra as he and Kurama time-travelled.

Normally, those smaller chakra-containing seals were supposed to hold a part of the Jinchuuriki's energy – and filter the bijuu's – only if the bijuu's chakra was too poisonous to the human body, such as in Kurama, Isobu, or Saiken's cases. The time-travelling Kyuubi just combined the Jikan no Fujin with the other seal – instead of using Younger Kakashi's chakra to filter Kurama's, the chakra-containing seals held Older Kakashi's energy. But since they were basically the same, the seal worked like nothing was different.

So, hey, lucky them!

The Hokage immediately looked at the stabilizing sequences and his posture slowly became less tense as understanding sunk deeper. He was probably thinking the ANBU worried about nothing.

Then, he seemed to remember something. "If those seals contain Kakashi's chakra, why is it clashing with the normal chakra flow?"

Uh… **"The masked man probably didn't think about the eventuality of me working with you and Kakashi surviving this long." **Yeah, let's blame the masked man for everything! In truth, however, it was Kurama who didn't think about a better excuse yet. But if it worked, was there need for a better one?

"The ANBU reported you were separating Kakashi's chakra in two halves. Why were you separating them with your own chakra, if the seal should be doing it?" the Hokage questioned again. He was getting deeper with his questions, and Kurama had to think fast about a proper answer.

**"****The seals were overused because of the fight, in which I had to filter a lot of my chakra," **the bijuu replied, trying not to grit Kakashi's teeth, **"so the two halves were starting to merge," **_and they still are, by the way, _**"and I had to keep them separated, because the sealed half absorbed too much of my energy and it's dangerous if it merges with the chakra already flowing." **

"I did?" 

**"****There's a way to expel it, but it takes time." **

"…I don't like the sound of that very much, you know?" Kurama and Younger Kakashi could feel the other's worried gaze.

The Sandaime seemed to accept the answer and, after looking again at the drawn seal, he burned it with a tiny Katon jutsu – leaving nothing but ashes of the Rokudaime's seal.

"Alright. As long as you don't harm Kakashi-kun and help Konoha, we'll get along just fine," was his statement as he sat behind his desk. "Return the control to Kakashi-kun. You're dismissed now."

Kurama smirked, trying not to let his relief show in his eyes. **"It's good to deal with you, Hokage-****_sama_****." **He mockingly stretched the final word and gave the control to Kakashi, who left the office just as an ANBU team resumed their guarding duty.

* * *

"…Rin?"

"Yes, Obito?"

The boy looked uncertain at his teammate after throwing two kunai at a tree stump. "When did Bakakashi become… this strong?" At Rin's surprised look, he hastily added, "I-I mean… he fought in the middle of the battlefield! I know he's a chuunin, but… that's just _weird_, you know? Facing so many enemies at the same time!"

Rin frowned. "Well… Kushina-san and many others were there too. Kakashi-kun didn't fight alone… mostly." She didn't sound so sure of what she was saying. She heard about his fight only from Ryoko Hyuuga, who was keeping an eye around. Kushina didn't have time to tell anything – she was rushing Kakashi to the Hospital, after all – and Sarune was with Rin and Obito while the others fought, so she didn't know anything else either.

"But, well… I don't know…" Obito pouted and tried to get his thoughts in order. "It's like… after Bakakashi got poisoned the first time, he became… _stronger_, I guess…"

He shook his head almost hysterically. "But that's _impossible_!" the boy shouted, slapping his cheeks and walking in circles. He clearly was confused as hell about this – even more than Rin was. She was searching for any possible answer, but unless they disregarded the poisoning, it didn't made sense at all.

She sighed dejectedly. "What if we just wait till Kakashi-kun feels like telling us?" as she said this, the girl threw three kunai to the wooden target some meters in front of her. They had to train too, and their brief time on the battlefield showed them how much work they still had to do.

Obito paused mid-throw. Damn, was it even an option? "Uh… I guess so…?"

"Obito, we're a team," Rin reminded him, just in case he forgot, "and we can talk to each other. It's not like we have to keep secrets, don't you think?"

"Y-Yeah, you're right!" The genin sheepishly chuckled and scratched his head, feeling an embarrassed blush forming on his cheeks. It wasn't his fault Bakakashi wasn't the type to reveal his supposed secrets! He just didn't think waiting would give any results, that was all…

"Then," the girl continued, "Kakashi-kun would tell us if he thinks it's worth knowing. It would be rude to, I don't know… force him to tell us."

After that, the two teammates fell mostly silent and continued throwing kunai and shuriken at the targets. They tried to toss the weapons from different distances, directions and sometimes more than three at the same time. They could throw one kunai in front of them just fine, but more than that…

The results were, in Rin's opinion, rather poor.

She would have asked for advice, but where would they get a jonin willing to help them? Minato-sensei was away, as were Jiraya-sama and Orochimaru-sama, Kushina-san and Sarune-shishou were still resting from their travel, the Uchiha were out of question... and Kakashi, even if he wasn't a jonin, was at the Hospital.

Obito glared at the wooden target for a Kami-knows how long. Its surface held only three weapons out of the eight ones the Uchiha had thrown and he hurled three kunai at the stump out of irritation.

They infuriatingly flew by the target into the bushes behind it.

At least, until they were hurled back.

Obito screamed in distress as the kunai almost grazed his clothes and he fell flat on his bottom. Just _why the hell did they come back?! _

"You have to improve your aim," a very much unexpected Kakashi deadpanned, leaving the bushes and stepping into the clearing. He took the weapons stuck in the stump and threw them at Obito's feet before walking near his teammates. "You both were handling them the wrong way."

Just like that, Rin snapped out of her stupor. "K-Kakashi-kun! Why are you here instead of the Hospital?!"

"I'm fine." He shrugged, completely uncaring of what the nurse had said. "The nurse even checked more than once to be sure. It's not like I'm going to die or anything right now and… you were handling the kunai the wrong way."

Like that justified his presence in the Training Ground 25.

"You weren't _spying _on Rin and me, right?"

"No. What makes you think that?" Cue the chuunin's innocent expression.

Rin cleared her throat before Obito could answer. "Well… now that we're here and Kakashi-kun is… fine…" she suspiciously eyed her teammate, clearly not believing he healed in so little time, "we can, uh… train together. Like a team."

Obito blushed furiously at her soft smile and squeaked an affirmative, while Kakashi nodded resolutely and started explaining the proper way of multiple kunai handling.

* * *

**Maaaan, that was long! Not as long as the fight chapter, but still! :O **

**Explanation time! **

**Kurama doesn't explain why the two halves are clashing because he doesn't have a good lie for that, so he blames the masked man! :D  
About why they are clashing, that's because both are trying to... overpower each other! **

**Other questions will be answered either in the next Chapter or via PM, so drop a review! ;)**

**Beware of the Kitsune's rage!**

**Shiiroi Kitsune21**


	24. Chapter 23: Time Ticks On

**YAY! I've finally updated! :D Didn't expect me so late, uh? **

**Thanks to buterflypuss, NarutoxHonoka, fluffpenguin, Bindi-fox, your 1# Guest Fan, (two) Guest(s), jleath1234, Elise, cloystreng, philip, Sparksofrandomness and long live marshmallows for their reviews! Thank you so much! :D**

**Jleath1234: …is 'AnkoxKakashi' your sign? Just asking, but since I'm trying not to get stuck into romantic relationships between characters I need a clear mind after reading your encouraging reviews. About the father-daughter bond, they don't have that yet. I shall try my best to continue my work! ;)**

**Sparksofrandomness: I have thought about it (something I seriously did! Amazing!), but since the Kannabi Bridge mission is the first mission Kakashi had ever led as a jonin I decided that… no, the chuunin exams shall be held before! I had thought the events very close to that must remain the same. Thank you for all your support! :3**

**Philip: why don't we discover this together? It would be a huuuuge spoiler if I just tell you now! ;3 **

**Bindi-fox: Oh, after that close call… I think Minato will be a little bit more protective. Just a little ;)**

**Elise: *blushes* thank you soooooo much for all your praises! I'm so happy there are people who like my work! Thank you! *bows* :D**

**And now, onto the Chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 23: Time Ticks On **

_Three days later_

"Namikaze-san, there's a letter for you."

Minato frowned as he took the offered scroll. What could be written on that 'only-important-news' message? What happened to his precious people?

Death? Field promotion? Capture? Debilitating injury?

He thanked the runner and gingerly broke the blood seal plastered on the scroll. Receiving a letter on the battlefield with your name on it could mean a lot of things, and very few were good. Actually, _none_ of them were good – field promotion meant more dangerous missions for his students (like being sent on the second line wasn't enough for them), and everything else Minato's mind could think of were the worst scenarios.

He opened the scroll before his oh-so-helpful brain could suggest anything else.

As he read the first line, his face turned a shade paler.

At the middle of the message, his usual tan completely disappeared.

_Kakashi, gut wound, poison, severe?! _

Minato frantically forced his brain to reboot and he reread the scroll's contents, not believing a single word. His hands were most probably trembling, but he couldn't care less – what the hell happened to his student?!

'-chuunin Hatake Kakashi fought several Iwa jonin alongside jonin Uzumaki Kushina when Commander Jiraya's reinforcements arrived…'

'…The boy killed the enemy Commander, but received a deep gut wound with a poisoned kunai…'

'…immediately rushed to Konoha Hospital by jonin Uzumaki Kushina and jonin Fuuma Sarune in two days of travel, while genin Nohara Rin and genin Uchiha Obito came back from the battlefield with chuunin Raisuki…'

'…chuunin Hatake Kakashi miraculously survived and, after the antidote was given, the healing rate exponentially increased. Dismissed from the Hospital the morning after the wound healed.'

Minato stared. He stared some more.

No, it didn't make any sense. Stop. Reboot. Do it again until it does make sense.

Take the words – Kakashi, gut, poison, Hospital, Kushina, Sarune, Rin, Obito, Commander.

Put them in order – Kakashi got stabbed in the gut with a poisoned kunai after fighting the enemy Commander, Kushina and Sarune rushed him to the Hospital while Rin and Obito returned to Konoha.

…Minato wasn't sure about what how he should feel. Worried, distressed, _utterly terrorized_ because one of his students got _freaking_ stabbed _and_ poisoned? Shocked and pround said student fought and won –barely- against the _enemy Commander_? Immensely grateful Kushina and Sarune were there and saved his life?

He struggled not to panic and flail his arms around like an emotional idiot. No, he was a _ninja_, a ninja _on the battlefield_, a _Konoha_ ninja on the battlefield-

"Minato, don't stare at that scroll too hard." That annoyed voice snapped him out of his thoughts and Minato looked at Orochimaru.

The Snake Sannin didn't seem too happy, if his glare was anything to go by.

"So, what happened?" he eventually asked, subtly peeking at the open scroll in Minato's hands. The blonde was so surprised by Orochimaru's almost polite tone –that, coupled with his earlier glare, was rather strange- he didn't notice him reading.

When the Yellow Flash was sure he could answer without rambling, the pale man was already half through the message and both eyebrows were raised in question. Minato quickly closed the letter, but the Sannin already knew. The blonde jonin activated the self-destroying fire seal on the scroll, burning it completely – it was the standard procedure for secret documents, after all. It didn't have anything to do with the other man's presence.

"Stabbed and poisoned, uh?" Orochimaru looked sharply at the blonde man. "Did he survive?"

"…Yes."

"And how is he?" his tone could be considered concerned, but Minato was almost positive it wasn't for Kakashi's life.

"Kakashi's fine – Hokage-sama wrote he's already healed."

When Orochimaru narrowed his amber eyes, the blonde wanted to face-palm at his slip-up. Damn, nobody is to know Kakashi had an incredible healing rate because of the Kyuubi imitator!

He almost slapped his hands on his mouth as he inwardly shouted that. That message really left him mentally messed up, didn't it? He should be more careful about what he was thinking.

"Your student is _already _healed?" Orochimaru asked, sounding unsure for once. It was written plain on his face he didn't believe it very much. "Travelling from Iwa's border to Konoha takes at least two days, and I'm sure Kushina-san ran at jonin-speed. How is it possible Kakashi survived two days without the antidote?" He narrowed further his eyes. "Does it say what poison it was?"

"No," Minato sighed, "but I'm just glad Kakashi-kun _did_ survive."

Orochimaru's face was carefully blank for several seconds. "Well, doesn't this bring back memories?" he eventually said, "Like that time Kushina-san had a mission in Kusa…"

The blonde man turned a shade paler than he already was. He remembered that time, and the fact Orochimaru brought it up was _not good_.

Kushina was still a chuunin and her team had to travel to Kusa, but Minato didn't know for what. They were ambushed by a wandering group of nukenin and two of Kushina's ribs were broken, almost piercing her left lung – her team tried to stop the internal bleeding without doing more damage, but they couldn't heal her since there wasn't any medic among them.

They patched up the wound as much as they could and immediately took off to the nearest Konoha outpost. They luckily made it in time to save her, and every iryo-nin there was baffled Kushina survived long enough to get there. The medics were even more shocked when they found poison in her bloodstream (one of the nukenin had poisoned senbon, it wasn't a wonder no one noticed) and Kushina's survival was considered 'a miracle'.

Not many people were allowed to know she was a Jinchuuriki, after all.

"W-Well," Minato began, "there was a medic with Kakashi, and I'm pretty sure she did everything she could to s-stabilize him… Kushina didn't receive medical healing that time, but she had her Uzumaki genes, right? Those two missions are unrelated." He resisted the urge to chuckle nervously. Orochimaru would get even more suspicious, and the Sannin couldn't know about the Kyuubi imitator yet.

Said man looked skeptically at the younger. Eventually, he seemed to accept Minato's opinion and turned around. "Join Hoshi-san's group. We'll attack Kumo from two sides," he briskly ordered, and the blonde jonin nodded before leaping away.

* * *

"Sarune-san…!"

"Boy, when did the nurse say you could train?"

"Two days ago," Kakashi lied immediately. 'Never' wasn't the proper answer to explain the situation he was in, 'three days ago' was the day after he woke up and 'yesterday' would be denied by his two tired teammates.

The brown-haired woman looked at her apprentice with a raised eyebrow.

"T-Three days ago Kakashi-kun didn't do any strenuous activity," was Rin's nervous report as she kept glancing around the Training Ground, "he just, uh- gave us tips on how to handle more kunai, and he was more than fine! It's just that, uh…"

"Bakakashi ordered us to spar against him today!" Obito intervened loudly to 'save' his crush, "Rin told him he had to 'take it easy', but he ignored her and started attacking us!" He pointed the sharp weapons on the ground for emphasis.

Kakashi shrugged at Sarune's odd look. "They need to be ready for sudden fights. As the Shinobi Rule 3 states-"

"I know." The iryo-nin sighed tiredly. Why was Kakashi so… unorthodox? "But attacking your teammates randomly isn't exactly right. I know you want to help them, but this way you'll just make them more paranoid."

"Paranoia saved lives."

The woman was tempted throw her arms up in exasperation at his rebut. "There are other methods to train their reflexes and, therefore, be ready for sudden fights."

"NO!" Both genin exclaimed in denial. Their eyes were impossibly wide and was it Sarune's impression or they were several shades paler? They glanced uneasily at their silver-haired teammate and at the jonin.

"…What did you do?"

"Me?" Kakashi asked rhetorically, trying to pull off an innocent expression. "Just training."

The genin's shudder said otherwise.

"…You know what? Forget it. I don't really want to know what you did." Sarune walked up to her brown-haired apprentice. "Rin, we can continue your training until Hokage-sama sends me on a mission. Is that OK for you?"

The girl hesitated and looked at her teammates. Kakashi gave a brief nod while Obito smiled widely at her, looking very much like a certain spandex-wearing genin.

"You can train your fighting skills another time," the chuunin stated, shrugging, "and, if things go down like last week, your healing ability would be needed."

Rin lightly blushed as she listened to her crush and she accepted Sarune's offer. After bidding goodbye to the boys, the two kunoichi merrily left the Training Ground.

Obito and Kakashi looked at each other as an awkward silence fell upon them. At least, until the younger boy broke it by speaking his decision.

"So… let's work on you _specifically_."

His detached voice had a strange undertone that made Obito shiver. Could this be worse than a surprise attack?

As Kakashi's fingers started glowing with chakra, he decided that _yes_, this was _far worse_.

* * *

_Two hours later_

"You… you _teme_…!"

"Language." Said word was emphasized by a lightning-charged poke.

Obito yelped. "OW! BAKA-"

"Language."

"OW! STOP IT!"

"I'll stop when you stop."

The Uchiha glared daggers at his teammate, looking very much like one of his clansmen would in his situation. "You're enjoying this, don't you?"

Kakashi shrugged at his teammate's accusing mutter. "I'm a chuunin, the higher rank among us – I have the duty to-"

"-be an utter jerk?"

"Language." Cue the lightning-charged poke on his shoulder. The younger boy snorted as Obito yelped once again. "Am I wasting my time by helping you? Because I think the Uchiha Clan would be happier than me to train you."

"…You're not planning to betray me by telling them, are you?" His suspiciously raised eyebrow spoke volumes of what was going on in his head.

A beat of silence. "If you don't betray Konoha, I don't see the reason," Kakashi answered, although his tone was blanker than usual – not that everyone would have noticed, but it made Obito stop for a moment.

He may not be the most aware person in the world, but he knew his cold-hearted teammate enough to tell apart some of his… strange moods.

There was his normal 'I'm better than you' voice. Irritating him meant getting several insults, but nothing violent would happen if Minato-sensei was there or Kakashi wasn't irritated too much. That was his default tone before he got poisoned the first time, but since Obito had hated that voice he wasn't really bothered by its almost complete disappearance.

Then there was his 'I've invented a new torture method and disguised it as a training exercise' voice. Irritating him meant getting lightning-charged pokes all over the body, or something worse – genjutsu, unknown slimy liquid, trapped somewhere… but he was more or less willing to explain. It was cruel, but somewhat useful.

Obito learned there was Kakashi's 'Listen to me, I'll say this only once' voice. It demanded perfect silence and the chuunin almost always used this tone to explain something. Other times he just used that tone to give orders or scold someone for a reason or another – coupled with a chakra-charged poke or some brief punishment, of course.

And now, Kakashi was using yet another voice – cold, even more toneless and emotionless than ever. Coupled with his face (mostly his eyes), it was like he thought Obito would really become a threat to Konoha.

But that was absurd, wasn't it?

They shared who-knows-how-many minutes of awkward silence before Kakashi got up and wandered off without a word, leaving a very confused Obito behind.

* * *

Kurama poked the Uchiha's chakra and couldn't help but notice his utter confusion and… discomfort, for the lack of a better word. Not that the bijuu actually cared, but they didn't need any more people snooping around.

_'__He'll become a danger to Konoha, you both know that. Why should I - or rather, we – help him?' _Younger Kakashi asked, narrowing his eyes at the time-travellers.

"Obito won't be an evil mastermind this time around," the older Hatake held his ground against his other self, glaring with the same intensity, "we'll make sure of it. If he trains enough, he'll become an important asset to Konoha."

Both Kakashis looked at Kurama for his opinion, and the demon shrugged. **"We just have to kill Madara and the Zetsu." **A pause. **"Maybe we'll destroy the Gedo Mazou too…"**

_'__Isn't the Timeline supposed to rearrange itself and made him evil all the same?' _was his suspicious question, _'No matter how much we mess its flow up?' _

Kurama actually snickered, much to their surprise. **"Technically, we split up the Timeline the moment we landed. Problem is, there can't be two with the same origin – so they try to converge again, erasing whatever made them different and trying to trigger the most important events again." **

Older Kakashi narrowed his eye at the bijuu. "But there's a limit to their… correcting ability, right?"

**"****See? Even humans can understand this!" **Kurama nodded approvingly to himself and he waved his tails in contentment. **"If there's absolutely no possibility for an event to happen, then it won't – and if this happens for three, four events…"**

_'…__You're saying we can _actually_ create a completely different Timeline?' _The mindscrape around them turned unfocused, reflecting his utter disbelief.

**"****Exactly. We just have to stop some of the most important events, and then whatever happened in our Time," **here Kurama added some unnecessary suspense, **"will never happen at all. We'll be a normal part of the new Timeline and we'll live happily ever after." **

Silence followed his revelation.

"That's… good to know, I guess..." Older Kakashi scratched his head before looking around through his younger self's eyes. Kurama rested his head on his paws contently while the ten-year-old Kakashi walked towards another Training Ground…

"MY ETERNAL RIVAL!"

The boy promptly avoided his overenthusiastic spandex-wearing and self-declared rival, who had leaped from some shop nearby to tackle him.

"MY RIVAL! I'M SO YOUTHFULLY GLAD YOUR FLAMES OF YOUTH BURN HIGHER THAN EVER!" the crowd quickly started walking away as Gai shouted, "NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS , YOU ALWAYS STAND UP AGAINST EVERY KIND OF ADVESITY!" He whirled around and did his Good Guy pose with a way too bright smile and a thumbs-up. "That's why I choose YOU as my ETERNAL RIVAL! 'CAUSE WE NEVER GIVE UP!"

Everyone around him sweat-dropped.

_'…__we're still in time to quit, right?' _

"Nope," was the time-traveller's oh-so-helpful answer.

Both Genma and Ebisu face-palmed before walking near the two rivals. They had just done a few boring, tiring D-ranks, too… why did Gai have to scare everyone away _again_? And why did Jiyo-sensei leave them alone?

Genma looked at the silver-haired boy, noticing his not-so clean appearance. "Hi… why do you look like you rolled on some dirt?"

"Can't I?"

"What Genma meant," Ebisu decided to speak up, sighing, "is 'why were you already training?' Sarune-san said you shouldn't train before a week had passed."

Before Kakashi could reply with some random answer, Gai wanted to answer for him. "BECAUSE MY YOUTHFUL ETERNAL RIVAL'S DESIRE FOR TRAINING COULDN'T WAIT!" Here he proceeded to hug said rival, who quickly dodged the move.

"I AM READY TO HELP YOU WITH TRAINING! WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR?!" Gai smiled brightly again and Kakashi was tempted to cover his eyes, just in case his smile could blind him.

"You'll get used to it. Just accept and you'll have a sparring partner who won't hold back." The time-traveller smirked at his younger self's realization. For him, finding a sparring partner who wouldn't hold back was rather hard – the average genin weren't 'challenging' while the other chuunin and jonin didn't regard him as an equal.

Gai was not an average genin – he was closer to chuunin level than others when it came down to taijutsu, in fact – but his… _loud_ and boisterous nature had led his younger self to avoid him as much as he could. It was just Gai's insistence that maintained their rivalry before Kakashi became a jonin sensei, really.

Both Hatakes looked at Kurama, who grumbled a, **"Whatever," **before closing his red eyes.

"Well, why not?" the chuunin answered, ignoring his rival's sparkling eyes and teeth. "Training Ground 23, now."

Gai shouted in excitement before rushing off.

* * *

The Sandaime Tsuchikage was _not impressed_.

"Repeat what you just said."

The scared jonin gulped nervously. His leader was really intimidating when he had that expression on his face, old man or not. "T-Tsuriji-taicho died on the battlefield – fatal wound on his heart. The K-Konoha army… retook their territory a-and some of ours. T-There aren't much troops left for u-us."

"So you're admitting defeat," the Tsuchikage accused, a dangerous gleam in his eyes. "Did you see the Hatake, at least?"

"H-Hai!" the jonin immediately replied and straightened slightly. Then he bowed his head in shame. "…That k-kid… he wasn't normal, Tsuchikage-sama – he c-could keep up with several of us," he gulped again when his leader's glare intensified, "b-but we're almost p-positive he died. The T-Toad Sage admitted h-he was injured, and the Uzumaki i-immediately left the field."

Oonoki narrowed his eyes at the trembling, pitiful form of the injured jonin. Did he forget, perhaps, they were supposed to get the Hatake _alive_ if they had met him? Or wasn't the order clear enough for him to understand?

He leaned back on his chair, keeping his glare on the shinobi kneeled in front of him. If that kid was actually dead and Kumo got word of it, their treaty would be blown instantly. The Raikage specified he wanted the Hatake alive, so he wouldn't take kindly his death.

Damn, why couldn't he be the Yellow Flash? It would have saved so much trouble!

The Tsuchikage looked at his councilors, who were either frowning or glancing at each other in question. They knew about the treaty with Kumo, of course, and didn't know what to do if the Hatake was dead. Either they could feign innocence if the Raikage asked something about that, or they could try to get the corpse and give it to him, saying it wasn't their fault.

But until it was actually confirmed, Iwa wouldn't act recklessly again and they would investigate to find where the Hatake kid was. The tree huggers usually didn't get their children killed -chuunin or not- and, since the Uzumaki left immediately the battlefield, it was very likely Konoha already healed him, one way or another.

Maybe there was some miraculous healer among them and the kid survived, who knew?

"Jaguar," he called coldly, "summon Ox, Lion and jonin Tarami." The masked ninja vanished without a word, and the Tsuchikage looked at the injured shinobi in front of him.

Should he just execute him, or torture him until he learned not to disobey his orders?

* * *

Several miles away, the Raikage was receiving a similar report – but he didn't take the news as calmly as his ally did.

"HOW IS IT POSSIBLE?!"

Mabui tried not to wince when her leader's powerful punch shattered the desk – again. This time the Raikage looked severely pissed off, an event rarer than anyone thought. Frankly, the kunoichi didn't want to be there at all.

The leader furiously ripped the scroll in his hands to shreds and his chakra sparkled dangerously right underneath his skin. If Mabui wasn't his assistant, she would have run as far away as possible until he calmed down.

_If_ he calmed down.

"THE FUCKING YELLOW FLASH, THE FUCKING SNAKE SANNIN AND THE FUCKING HYUUGA CLAN!" the floor underneath him cracked because of his raging chakra flow. "I'VE SENT ARMIES UPON ARMIES TO GET THAT DEMON, HOW IS IT POSSIBLE NO ONE GOT HIM?!" He shouted angrily to his assistant, who tried not to step back in fear for her life.

What could she say not to have her head chopped off on a whim? "It's just a delay, sir," was her –hopefully- careful answer, "Konoha can't resist too many attacks on two fronts – their shinobi need to rest too, and that's when we'll strike."

The Raikage narrowed his eyes at the tense woman, but he seemed to have calmed down somewhat. He nodded. "Just a delay," he repeated. "Just a delay to get that demon's power."

The man turned around to look down at his village. He seemed in deep thought and Mabui really hoped her 'opinion' had some sort of effect on her leader.

But was it really just a delay? She wasn't sure.

What she _did _know, however, was that Kumo would never accept it if they lost the war. Konoha had already won the other ones, even though they got attacked from every border and coast.

Iwa on the western front, Kumo on the eastern one, Kiri on the southern coasts, Suna on the south-western border and who knows how many others joined. If it wasn't for their luck, Konoha would have been completely destroyed by now.

Or rather, if it wasn't for their Clans, who seemed to spawn only geniuses, prodigies and bloodline users.

Uchiha, Hyuuga, Nara, Yamanaka, Aburame, Inuzuka… that village seemed to have the best bloodlines available in the whole world.

But now, what puzzled Mabui was the Hatake Clan.

She, along with many others, knew next to nothing about them. Everything before the loathed White Fang was completely unknown to most Kumo shinobi below chuunin level, and very few ninja were old enough to remember it.

Beside white chakra, the ninken summoning contract and unbelievably-quick thinking, what else did they know about the Hatake? Even though they knew their chakra was different, they didn't know _how_ it was different, and that information by itself was almost useless.

Whatever strange mutation happened to that Clan, the Hatake brat _survived_ the sealing of a _bijuu_ in his gut – even though he wasn't an Uzumaki, or some other Clan infamous for their life force. At least, as far as they knew.

Killer Bee was some years older than that Hatake when the Hachibi was sealed in him, but he was ready – more or less – for the bijuu's chakra, A-san and Raikage-sama called the most experienced Fuinjutsu users to inspect every detail of that seal, there were several medics with compatible chakra, Bee was … while the brat _wasn't_.

Because it was impossible that Konoha, the only known Country that still coddled its children, could have sealed a demon within a ten-year-old, orphaned little boy, wasn't it?

They needed a plan. Or a treaty, maybe. A little boy for Kumo's withdrawal from the war, the bargaining chip for ending the war in Konoha's favor… before returning once again with another powerful demon by their side.

* * *

**Phew, and that's done! :D**

**I hope their interactions weren't too OOC or something, 'cause I've finished this in the evening. I hope you enjoyed – at least a little – this Chapter, where Obito remains puzzled, Minato tries not to run around in circles, Orochimaru is getting suspicious, Gai is his usual boisterous self and Kumo is trying to understand what the heck is going on! **

**Don't forget to review, and I'll continue when I can! ;)**

**Beware the Kitsune's rage!**

**ShiiroiKitsune21**


	25. Chapter 24: Tension

**Phew, and here I am again, finally returned! :D**

**Thanks to buterflypuss, Sparksofrandomness, Prescripto13, KaiaRenkin, UzumakiKirofu, NarutoxHonoka, my #1 Guest Fan, Callian31, love toshiro dragon, cloystreng, makmix, Jleath1234, Sailor Pandabear, makmix and chezzamezza for their reviews! **

**Callian31: is that a suggestion for Kumo-Konoha confrontation?! :O Ohhh… let's see if I can include this! xD**

**Chezzamezza: Yay, cookies! X3 Indeed, what if? I think he would be veeeeery surprised! Although I'd have to knock out both Kakashis and Kurama! **

**Shurli: Muahahahaha… just wait, my dear reviewer… when Kumo gets enough information, shit shall go down! ;D And YAY, Cookies! :D**

**And, uhm… I'm working on a five-chaptered story on the Assassin's Creed fandom. Yup. My muse was kidnapped by the Kenway family, but it seems she sent enough messages for me to continue this story XD**

**…****Ok, I'll just shut up and let you continue onwards ;)**

**Chapter 24**

**Tension**

_A week later_

Hiruzen allowed himself a tiny smile. Things were finally looking up for Konoha.

Their joint attack with Suna against Iwa went better than expected: apparently, Ame wasn't as dangerous as the Hokage assumed and the Suna forces ran through without much trouble. There were some strange or suspicious occurrences, like those few reports about mishaps with Suna's poisonous blades, injuries from 'friendly' fire and such, but the Sandaime wasn't too worried.

After all, every shinobi was informed about the condition of their accord with Suna: no revenge. If one of the parts didn't respect that, the Country would have to repay the damages – or, in case of 'accidental' death, another shinobi of the same level would be executed.

'An eye for an eye' wasn't his motto, but there wasn't any other choice if they wanted to act fast.

The Sandaime was just glad they weren't ripping each other's hearts out – what should he have expected after the bloodbaths of the Second Shinobi War? – and that Iwa had sent too many shinobi on the other side of their border, exposing the southern side and allowing the joint forces to made their way in.

Their alliance gained quite a lot of land and, if it wasn't for those from both Konoha and Suna who wanted to claim the territory as theirs, the joint attack would have been perfect. More or less.

They just had to resist.

The Hokage put down the report and picked up another scroll – it was from Jiraya, who had apparently scared away all the Iwa-nin. If Kushina hadn't already confirmed that, Hiruzen would have been worried by the too calm situation.

The report that concerned him more was Orochimaru's.

Besides the usual 'injured, dead, prisoners, winnings and losses' part, his student wrote something about Minato's jittery behavior since he received that letter about Kakashi. His performance on the battlefield was as flawless as expected, but if the blonde was left alone with his thoughts – as in lookout duty and rest – his control over his chakra would slip, _'and jonin of his caliber can't allow themselves to be anything but always ready,' _as Orochimaru reported.

The Lightning Brothers left some days ago because Kiri, for who knows what reason, started attacking Kaminari no Kuni's coasts and their ships. The spies would return soon with the full story, but Konoha didn't know much else.

They couldn't allow Minato to break. He was too important to ensure Konoha's victory.

Hiruzen decided it was time for Minato to return to his students. Orochimaru could very well hold his ground against the Kumo shinobi, Jiraya was arranging a recon mission in Iwa's territory… and Kushina had rested enough to return on the battlefield.

Both Sannin didn't need additional help, while the other troops with Suna needed a strong support. Kushina wasn't a fan of revenge, and the other shinobi didn't have bones to pick with her – she would do fine there.

The Hokage quickly wrote a list of the ninjas he wanted in his office and gave it to a chuunin. He ordered her to call them and, after putting down the papers on his desk, the woman left.

Hiruzen looked at the first stack of paper. 'Chuunin Exams' was written in red ink over the whole pack, reminding him of how much work he had yet to complete. The Exams wouldn't organize themselves alone, after all.

They were due to begin in two months, and the participants would be only Konoha genin. With the war going on the Exams would have to finish sooner than usual, thrusting the kids into more dangerous situations as soon as they take the tests.

Not that it didn't happen before the Chuunin Exams, of course. A failed mission, an unexpected ambush, an hasty retreat – everything could shove genin right in the middle of a fight. Team Minato was a perfect example.

But now wasn't time to think about _that_ – there were Exams to arrange, people to send and to call back, an ally to be wary of and a war to win.

* * *

_Five days later_

For the second time in four months, a yellow blur dashed through Konoha.

Said Yellow Flash was searching for his students, looking everywhere around the village to assure himself they were safe. It was rather strange they always got into trouble when he was away, wasn't it?

His pessimistic side began to rise, but he quickly bashed its head into a metaphorical wall before it could even speak. Hokage-sama wrote his students were alive and well, he just had to find them and hide them somewhere safe until the war was over.

Or maybe that was a bit overkill?

He abruptly stopped when he felt a trail of Obito's chakra near a dango shop and followed it. His ever-cheerful student walked with someone for a while before stopping by Sarune's house – surely Rin was there too, since her signature left together with Obito's – and going inside Training Ground 25.

Minato carefully flared his chakra and knew he found his Team when a familiar white signature flickered in response. The blonde smiled widely and quickly flashed behind his students before hugging them tightly, whether they wanted it or not.

"Minato-sensei!" the trio exclaimed, their tones ranging from Obito's loudly enthusiastic voice to Kakashi's half-relieved and half-irritated one. Rin was closer to her genin teammate's tone, although higher-pitched. The blonde put the annoyed undertone in the chuunin's voice as the bijuu's fault and tightened his embrace.

_His_ Team, _his_ students, _his_ cute little children. They were all together now, and nothing would ever pull them apart while Minato was there.

The genin laughed and giggled happily as Kakashi sighed, evidently not enjoying physical contact. Was it Minato's impression, or he seemed to lean closer while struggling to break free?

"Sensei, you finally returned!" the black-haired boy turned around to look excitedly at him. "How are you? We're great! Rin's studying poisons with Sarune-san, and I can do the Dragon's Breath much better now! I've trained really hard, and then I'll become the awesomest ninja ever, just like you!"

"It's 'most awesome'."

The genin's face was priceless for about a second before it turned a rather interesting shade of red. "It's the same thing, _Bakakashi_!" Embarrassment was written all over his face, while Kakashi watched more than a little annoyed.

"It isn't."

"It IS!"

"It isn't."

"IT-"

"Boys!" Rin walked up to her teammates and swatted lightly their heads, narrowing her eyes at both. Her face was settled into an exasperated pout, which looked rather odd on her. "Sensei just returned and you start bickering _again_?"

Both boys looked more than ready to argue, but something in Rin's eyes – _a fire that wasn't there before_, Minato mused –that made them relent and fall silent. It seemed the blonde's absence had triggered more than one change into his students, but apparently Kakashi and Obito's bickering was a lost cause.

Well, at least something would always remain the same, and Minato didn't know whether it was good or bad news.

Thinking about changes… "What else did you do while I was away?" he asked idly, sitting on the grass near a tree. That afternoon was a particularly hot one, and Minato's run through Konoha and her woods made him rather sweaty.

Obito looked very thrilled to tell everything, but Kakashi interrupted him. "We worked on their accuracy, multiple weapons' throwing, reflexes and speed," was his report as his teammate glowered at him. The chuunin gestured at Rin to continue and she straightened slightly.

"I continued practicing iryo jutsu with Sarune-shishou and," Rin fiddled with her thumbs and glanced more than once at Kakashi, "…I've asked her to start studying poisons and antidotes, too… just in case we get into that kind of trouble again." At the end she finally looked pointedly at her younger teammate.

Obito took his cue to begin speaking, "I've trained on my own… sometimes." Then his glare hardened on Kakashi and his eyebrow twitched. "Bakakashi wanted me to practice on the Dragon's Breath and my fighting style…" Which was the Uchiha style he had been thaught, and he didn't have a clue about why Kakashi knew when his stance was _slightly_ wrong.

"Not only that. We had to work on your _poor_ battle reflexes." Kakashi empathized 'poor' just to spite his teammate, apparently.

Obito flushed crimson and lunged for the chuunin, stopped only by Minato's quick grabbing of his arms.

"Now, now," Minato tried to pacify his students, "Kashi, you know that you shouldn't rile Obito up, don't you?" Though his face was the picture of sheepish awkwardness, there was an undertone of 'stop it, _right now_'. Kakashi quickly recognized it and shut up immediately.

"Minato-sensei, it's not true I have poor reflexes!" whined Obito, pointing at his teammate, "It was Bakakashi that was unfair! He even tried to attack us!"

The blonde looked sharply at his silver-haired student, who shrugged. "Life isn't fair," was his answer, "and it isn't unlikely the enemies would use Henge to get near us, either. So it's better you keep your guard up all the time."

"Even inside _Konoha_?" Obito narrowed his eyes, although now he wasn't about to lunge at his teammate anymore.

Another shrug. "May I remind you of the Uchiha Attack?"

The other boy tensed and clenched his fists, trying with all his will not to remember that particular time. Rin and Minato glared briefly at Kakashi, even if they knew he was right. The method was unorthodox, but they knew that he was trying to help, deep down.

Just without using normal means.

An uncomfortable silence fell upon them until Minato cleared his throat. "Why don't you show me what you've learned while I was away?"

* * *

"Obito and Rin have improved." Happiness, pride and longing tinged the space around Older Kakashi as he spoke. "And Minato-sensei has clearly noticed it."

Kurama poked the jonin's aura and confirmed, **"He's quite proud of our work." **

Younger Kakashi hummed as he basked (stealthily, of course) into Minato's pride of him (them?). It may be enough of a reward to calm him after all the trouble he's gone through coaching his teammates – which more often than not included only Obito – and listening to two different kinds of advice in his head.

At first Minato-sensei watched as his genin students hurl kunai and pointy weapons at each other, showing their progresses in accuracy, reflexes and speed – there was the occasional scrape, but after being on the receiving end of Kakashi's lightning pokes the cuts were nothing.

That was when Minato threw an unexpected barrage of shuriken – not unlike he did months ago during the second Bell Test – and the genin immediately jumped away out of instinct.

They seemed quite surprised to have moved without actually knowing what was being hurled at them.

Rin was the first to look at the blonde. "…Minato-sensei… why?"

If she was baffled, Obito was in the middle of a tantrum. "SENSEI, NOT YOU TOO!" He screeched, then began pacing in circles and ranting about why every irritating thing happens to him. Ignoring Minato's proud and cheerful grin, Rin's now amused expression and Kakashi's raised eyebrow.

_'…__Didn't he notice the training actually paid off?'_

"Apparently not."

A deep sigh. **"Only another year, only another year and he won't be my problem…"**

Before Older Kakashi could point out the Kannabi Mission was another year and five months away, Minato chuckled good-naturally.

"Obito, you dodged my surprise attack!" He cheerfully pointed out, enjoying the way Obito's jaw fell. "I'm so glad and proud you trained this hard and grew up to be a true team." And he proceeded to hug his students – again.

This time, even Younger Kakashi felt a twinge of happiness, knowing that his teammates were now less incompetent and Minato-sensei was proud of them. He knew he could rely on other people if he asked, but it was the first time he actually felt as much – and the time-travellers were now high-fiving, earning a mental sigh.

_'__What?' _He half-mumbled and half-growled.

A snicker resounded in a corner of his mind, but his older self changed the subject. "Every Team 7 seemed cursed to be divided, sooner or later," was his statement, "and now we can change that. I'm just… very happy." Older Kakashi concluded lamely as he shrugged, but his feeling were plainly projected around him for Kurama and his younger self to see.

Way-too-bright joy, an unhealthy dose of hope and the pride of a child as his father-figure praised him.

It was almost contagious, and Kurama discreetly shuffled away as Younger Kakashi basked into them with his older self. It seemed some things never changed, no matter how much death and mayhem someone caused or saw.

* * *

When Mabui presented her idea, the Raikage looked thoughtful, of all things.

"A treaty, uhm?"

The calm voice was much more unsettling than his shouts, there was no denying it. "Yes, Raikage-sama. If many shinobi know about this treaty, the Hokage would be forced to hand the Hatake over by his own forces."

"And then we get the demon out, find another vessel, control the bijuu and attack Konoha again," the burly leader stated, and his voice turned alarmingly gleeful at the last point. Mabui nodded, because that was the general idea.

The Raikage leaned back and stroked his beard, narrowing his eyes. "The Hokage will have to choose between peace and a missing child." A smirk twisted his lips. "And with the shinobi pushing him to accept peace, he'll lead the brat straight into our hands, Jinchuuriki or not."

Mabui straightened when the man's gaze focused on her. What did he want her to say? "But to make this treaty something widely known among the Konoha troops, we can't send a runner of our own. We'll need an enemy shinobi."

Her leader's smirk widened. "Then why are we wasting time?" he said, then two shadow clones appeared on both his sides. Each one picked up a scroll – one gray for secret communication, one red for important messages and one brownish for treaties – and started writing three different messages.

Mabui waited, inwardly fidgeting. This wasn't a bad idea, right? Although it could become a whole lot more complicated if too many enemies sided with the Hatake kid, Iwa would keep her part of their treaty and try to get him alive either way. It was just impossible that _two_ countries couldn't get their hands on a ten-year-old child.

The first clone handed her the red scroll. "Make sure this gets to Commander Kyoshi," he ordered briskly before dispelling. Mabui nodded and waited for the other two to finish their messages.

The other clone gave her the gray scroll, definitely meant for the Tsuchikage. It was probably to get more information about the Hatake boy or the now-almost-extinct clan in general. Who knew, maybe Iwa got some news about him.

The original Raikage closed the scroll with a flourish, then drew a vial of his blood from his desk. "Give this to Wamaru, and tell him to seal this with the best Fuinjutsu he knows." Mabui nodded. "Then send this together with the scroll meant for Kyoshi. He'll know what to do."

The assistant nodded again and left the room.

* * *

_Two days later, at night_

The man trembled as he waited for the fatal blow to hit him.

He knew he shouldn't have gone alone, and yet there he was, bleeding and pitifully weak against a patrol of enemy shinobi. He sure as hell wasn't alone anymore, although the company wasn't welcomed in the slightest.

One of the Kumo ninja effortlessly stood over his injured form, gripping tightly his once-green jacket. The man couldn't help but wonder where the hell his logic went when he decided to scout alone.

The enemy above him smirked and shoved a cylinder – a scroll, a bomb, he didn't care – into his trembling hands. "Give this to your Hokage," he sneered, "and don't turn around. We won't have any more mercy if you do."

Against the Konohan's will, another member of the enemy patrol bandaged his worst injuries and hauled him upright, letting him lean on a nearby tree. The scout looked at the scroll – yes, it definitely felt like a scroll – and it almost slipped from his hands as he noticed the seal printed on it.

A freaking who-knows-what seal, stamped in what he assumed was blood – the Raikage's? – and glowing faintly in the dark.

And he should take this scroll to the _Hokage_?! Were they insane or just stupid?!

The ninja gritted his teeth – taking that to Konoha, straight into his leader's hands? Not even in a million years, at least without knowing what the hell it could do.

One of the five enemies roughly shoved him in Konoha's direction. "Move already," he hissed, "if you think your Hokage can't handle a seal, he isn't even worthy of the title he parades around with."

The injured man felt a wave of nausea threatening to make him puke, but pushed it down. He needed to get a grip of himself, and fast – wounded or not. Orochimaru-sama would be able to decode whatever the hell that seal did, and he would decide whether to throw it away or send this to Hokage-sama.

After all, he was the Snake Sannin, one of Sandaime-sama's students. He would know what to do.

The Konohan tried to limp his way to the frontline, hearing clearly the condescending snickers of his would-have-been killers. He was seething, but they were rather clear with their instructions, too – no turning around. He almost stopped when he realized he was following the enemy's orders, but what else could he do? That scroll – whatever it contained – could be either a trap or a chance.

Chance for _what_, he didn't know.

Peace? Not very likely. Underhanded treaty with Konoha to wage war against another country? Probably. Request of surrender? Unlikely, but the Raikage's ego was too big to ignore that possibility.

It clearly wasn't about Kumo's surrender, if the way they wanted the scroll relayed was anything to go by.

* * *

***Gasp* A Chapter?! **

**Finally got around to write it! YAY! :D**

**It's shorter, but the next Chapter shall involve a mission. Which will go awry because of the Time's meddling, but who cares? Especially not our dear time-travellers! XD **

***Cough* As you may have already read on my profile, Assassin's Creed happened and I got stuck. Oh well. I guess all that matters is I can continue all the same, right? **

**Beware of the Kitsune's rage!**

**Shiiroi Kitsune21**


	26. Chapter 25: Investigation

**I'm humbled by such loyalty from my followers! Thank you! ;3**

**Thanks to long live marshmallows, KaiaRenkin, buterflypuss, Prescripto13, Gacsam, NarutoxHonoka, Jleath1234, mashiro-chi1, cloystreng, My #1 Guest Fan, Millycorn, Bindi-fox, Fuyukioujo and Sailor Pandabear for their reviews! :D**

**long live marshmallows: Uchiha Attack is referred to the two bullies that went for Obito several Chapters ago. I don't even know which one XP And yes, Minato was overly worried and I wanted a group hug for Team Minato! ;)**

**Prescripto13: I have something so absurd in mind that I'm not entirely sure if I should add it! ;P But, in a way… maybe. Maybe. XD**

**Gacsam: I wonder how Canon Obito and Rin got promoted if they couldn't waltz into the Exams. Just for once, let's pretend the Hokage wants tradition to be upheld for the Chuunin Exams, pretty please? ;)**

**Millycorn and mashiro-chi1: let's leave Orochimaru to his spooky jutsus, and as for his madness… meh. He's not that bad of a character, just not a good guy to leave near children ;)**

**Bindi-fox: you have my stamp of approval for a story with nukenin Minato and Kakashi ;D **

**And warning – I might have ignored/changed/added something that doesn't fit within Naruto's timeline. But who cares? This Timeline has already gone awry, what's something more?**

* * *

**Chapter 25: Investigation**

_'__So you mean that the Bijuu Cloak _should _become second nature?'_

A nod. **"Exactly. Just keep focusing our chakra on your skin and, when it's necessary, in muscles, organs, bones, and so on." **

Younger Kakashi nodded back and tried again.

The so called 'Bijuu Cloak' wasn't all that natural, in his opinion. It felt like he was forcing too much chakra where it shouldn't be, and it took a lot of trial and error – much more than he would have liked – to get it right most of the time.

It was some days before Minato-sensei returned, and Kurama had announced it was time he started the next phase. **"You should just focus a certain amount of chakra on your skin," **the bijuu had said, **"not enough and the Bijuu Cloak will be useless, too much and you'll get chakra burn." **

And what was worse, Kurama had denied every kind of help he might get from Older Kakashi, claiming, **"I've got a plan for the memory-merging, and whether it works or not you won't get any help from him." **The young chuunin wondered what kind of plan it would be, but he remained silent at Kurama's tone. No matter how much he asked, the bijuu would never reveal just what that was.

The first times without his older self were something close to abysmal failure. He had gotten too used to his help (was it so bad, since he was himself?), and it made him too sloppy in his chakra control – which took him two days to get on a level that was enough for him, but Kurama brought up Madara's topic and the once-jonin agreed it might never be enough.

So the next three days were spent learning the exact amount of chakra necessary to create a satisfying Bijuu Cloak. If the ANBU were startled – and they really were, if the constantly buzzing chakra was anything – by the bright orange glowing kid, they said nothing.

The only time they radiated annoyance was when a group of chuunin wandered too close and they had to shoo them away, just in case they saw the chakra beacon Kakashi was.

The Bijuu Cloak wasn't exactly a stealth mode, that was for sure.

The secret – though not so secret to the ANBU or the Sandaime – training was abruptly cut off when the Hokage called Team Minato, Anko and Hanju Inuzuka for a mission.

Obito looked far too enthusiastic for a measly C-rank. Then again, the fact both time-travellers had their fair share of annoyingly boring missions – as the sensei of a genin team and the knuckleheaded blonde ball of sunshine – doesn't help when trying to understand why he was so happy.

Rin was in a similar state, although much better at hiding it. Obito didn't even bother, almost shouting his happiness form the rooftops for everyone to hear. It wasn't that hard to imagine him in that situation.

Minato was more tense and wary – probably thinking about the thousands ways the mission could go wrong – but he didn't let it show. If it wasn't for the newly-acquired ability to feel the emotions from the others' chakra, Kakashi would have taken longer to know it.

Hanju was almost bubbling in excitement, and his ninken waved her tail in equal enthusiasm. Probably something with working together with Konoha's Yellow Flash and the eagerness to tell everyone about it, no doubt gloating.

Anko was a little less excited and, after quickly checking if Kakashi was truly mission-ready, she seemed content enough to look around her and occasionally joining in the conversation between the two genin.

"This time," the Sandaime spoke, getting everyone's attention, "your mission is relatively straight forward. In this area," he pointed a town on the eastern coast near Benisu Island, "the citizens of Shichi Town reported suspicious activity near the Main Route. They asked to investigate and get the ones behind this disturbances, dead or alive."

"If there are bandits down here," everyone looked at Hanju, "then there must be something in the mines." He pointed to the site a few kilometers away from the Main Route.

"Or maybe that's their headquarter, whether they're shinobi or not."

The Sandaime nodded at Minato. "That's what I suspect, as well. But since our nearby troops didn't report Kiri interference of any importance, I highly doubt there's shinobi activity. Furthermore, Kiri is fighting against Kumo and they wouldn't send many ninjas without a reason."

Somehow the fact it was so unlikely fueled Kurama's suspicion there actually were shinobi in there. "We can't afford to send anyone else for this mission, and I trust you to complete it."

At the Sandaime's words, every ninja bowed slightly and accepted the mission before leaving.

* * *

Orochimaru wasn't easily surprised. He took some pride in that fact – surprise was a key factor in battle, and the Sannin knew how to cover his shock or emotions.

But he didn't expect a mysteriously-glowing scroll in the hands of a missing man, which was suddenly recovered on the field and immediately took to the medical tent. "_Where were you last night?_" Orochimaru hissed, locking his predatory gaze on the poor, injured and pathetic jonin.

He cowered under that glare. "S-Scouting, O-Orochimaru-s-sama," he whimpered as the scroll was snatched from his bloodied fingers.

"_Scouting_ doesn't bring scrolls of _this color_!" his hiss resembled a snake's and nobody was that surprised to hear it. His words, however, made both medics and injured recoil. "Brown is used for _treaties_! Why the hell did you have _this_?!" He waved the scroll in front of his face, just in case he didn't remember what he brought inside their camp.

The man cowered further. "A-An enemy p-patrol found me." And that alone earned him another Orochimaru snake glare. "I d-don't know w-why, but they w-wanted this scroll d-delivered to H-Hokage-sama."

"And you thought it was a _good idea_ bringing it _there_?!" Orochimaru hissed, wishing dearly to bash the man's head in with the still-glowing scroll. "Have you any idea about what kind of damage it would do?! _Do you?!_"

He whimpered again, and everyone nearby stepped away from Orochimaru. Just in case he had rabies or the like. "I-I… I thought y-you could…"

"Deactivate it and discover something about Kumo?"

The man nodded at his snap and regretted it an instant later, when his amber glare intensified.

"You're lucky Konoha doesn't kill for insubordination anymore," he snapped once again, taking sick delight in the others' horrified expressions. He let that sink in before turning around. "Kugori, I expect you to maintain order inside this camp while I open this scroll away from here."

Kugori stiffened and, knowing the importance of that task, nodded resolutely. Orochimaru left without another word.

Once he deemed the distance between himself and the camp enough, he took out his sealing kit. He wasn't a seal master (_yet_, he repeated himself), but with enough time he could find his way around most seals without mishaps.

Seals were logic sequences of symbols, kanjis and shapes – it wasn't hard for him.

He still narrowed his eyes at the seal on the scroll. A high level blood seal based on the Cobweb, a tricky one to unlock without knowing the counterseals of each line. It was triggered to unleash lightning on whoever dared to open it without caution. The blood was surely of a Raiton user, most probably the Raikage himself.

Orochimaru carefully wrote the counterseals for each of the six main lines of the Cobweb, aware that even a single sloppy stroke could trigger the lightning. But predators knew when to be patient – their target's defense would become undone with a little effort, and the prey would fall.

The Sannin smirked when his first try was successful. Each symbol had an opposite one, and it was relatively easy to match them.

Now unraveling the scroll, Orochimaru's satisfaction quickly turned into disbelief.

* * *

It didn't take long to reach Shichi Town at low-chuunin speed – in fact, just two days later, Team Minato rented two rooms and reported their presence to the town's leader.

Shichi was a small, busy port with two dozens of houses around and few people with shinobi training. The highest chakra Kakashi felt in the whole town was somewhere down low-chuunin level. It was no wonder they immediately asked for help to a Hidden Village, although it was strange they didn't send a request to Kiri first.

Minato-sensei shrugged at his student's question. "Probably Kiri is too busy with the war to send help here," he stated, but Kakashi wasn't that satisfied yet. He asked the time-travellers what they knew about Kiri's situation in this period.

"Well… I think Kumo had sunk some ships and raided a couple of Kiri's ports," was Older Kakashi's answer. He shrugged. "Kiri had been mostly neutral during this war, but they couldn't tolerate the raids and started attacking Kumo's coasts. The Raikage got so angry that he declared A-san his successor and immediately left for the battlefield."

_'…__And? What happened?' _

Older Kakashi looked (and felt) thoughtful. "A-san said the Sandaime Raikage fell in battle after facing both Kirigakure's Swordsmen and Orochimaru somewhere between the islands, but I never got the whole story." He ignored his younger self's slack-jawed surprise and shrugged. "Thing is, A-san had to organize everyone – since his father didn't bother warning the troops of his impromptu decision – and retired from the war."

Younger Kakashi quickly closed his mouth before anyone noticed. _'And why did he get so furious?' _Just in case it happened again, or just to know what to change and what not.

"Kakashi, do you have anything strange on you?"

He immediately turned around. "Uh, no. Why?" Why would he assume this?

Hanju's ninken barked at him and growled lowly. He shot an apologetic look at the chuunin, who took half a step back. "Kurai isn't always like this…" he murmured to himself, then looked again at Kakashi. "I really don't know what got into her now. She's always pretty friendly with anyone from Konoha, but she won't say why she growls at you."

Kurai barked something angrily, and Hanju cocked his head. "Foxes…?"

Behind them, Minato stiffened slightly and walked over before Hanju could sniff. It was impossible he could feel Kurama, but he still wasn't about to take any chances (irrational fear, surely). Problem was, Kakashi and Hanju were the best at tracking outside cities and the three genin couldn't be left to their own research.

"Hanju-san, Kakashi-kun, you'll head outside the town and investigate near the Main Route." Minato opened a map and pointed three areas circled in red. "There were disturbances in these places – foul-smelling smoke, unknown men sighted and everything remotely suspicious. I suggest you start there, instead of heading straight into the mines."

Obito frowned. "Why not, Minato-sensei? If they're here we'll complete this mission immediately!"

"And you'd rather barge in without any idea of who or how many are there?" Kakashi snorted, wondering why his teammate was this oblivious. "Analyzing those areas can give us an idea about who we're going to face."

Anko and Rin nodded in agreement, and Obito flushed red.

"Rin, Anko, Obito and I will question the citizens about those disturbances and investigate the area near Shichi," announced Minato, earning three acknowledging nods. "We'll rendezvous at the town's gates in five hours and we'll return at the inn to share our information." His eyes became even more serious, if that was even possible. "If a group doesn't show up within the next two minutes, the other is authorized to search for it. _No one_ will be left behind, understood?"

The four of them nodded and the students agreed with a, "Yes, Minato-sensei." Kurai woofed with the same sentiment, but still shot Kakashi a warning glare. The blonde sensei and the three genin walked back into Shichi town, leaving the two trackers alone.

Now Kakashi was ready for five hours of investigation with a ninken angry at him.

Joy.

* * *

The first area was at the edge of a thick forest.

"Do you have any experience in tracking?" Hanju turned around to look at his chuunin teammate. "I've heard your Clan had a ninken summoning contract, but I don't think you have signed it yet."

_'__Do you think I can't track something myself?' _Kakashi bitterly thought. It always left a sour taste in his mouth when people doubted his abilities. "I don't have my own pack yet," he admitted, "but I've got some experience in tracking, yes."

"Which is almost all mine." 

_'__We're the same and currently merging.' _

"…Touché." 

Hanju nodded and crouched on the leaf-covered ground, sniffing. Kurai was doing the same a little further into the forest – she really hated Kakashi's foxy smell, then. The thought of being discovered so easily almost made the young chuunin squirm in discomfort, but not quite.

Kurama flooded his coils with warm, filtered chakra and triggered the Demon Eyes mode. Kakashi's eyes inspected trees and ground, his nose caught every scent near him and he felt the chakra signatures around him – _Hanju and Kurai near him, Minato-sensei and Obito three hundred meters away. _

The trees. _Kunai marks in a quadrangular formation. Slight scorch marks near the ground._

The ground. _One, two, three, four different chakras. _

_Blood. _

"Blood."

Hanju glanced behind at Kakashi's whisper. "Yeah, we found a faint trail of blood," he said, then turned around fully. "You smelt that from _there_?"

A shrug. "Yes, of course." It might be a little strange, knowing Kakashi was almost eight meters away and the smell of blood was almost completely covered by the forest's.

Kurai barked at him again, this time actually taking a fighting stance. Hanju was by his ninken's side in an instant and looked strangely at Kakashi. "What's up with your eyes?"

_'__Might as well twist the truth, since this can't be hidden for long.' _"A Kekkei Genkai. It was dormant until a few weeks ago," Kakashi found himself saying, "and I've practiced with it for a while. My senses are sharper when I activate it."

Not exactly the truth, but the last part was true enough for Hanju to relax. It wasn't the most absurd thing to happen in Konoha, after all, and he shrugged. "Alright then, let's see where the trail ends," the jonin announced, promptly followed by Kurai. She didn't seem ready to deem Kakashi not a threat.

As it turned out, the smell of blood led into the second area the trackers had to investigate, somewhere into the thick forest.

There was a small pit, and into it there were ashes and the strong smell of something burnt.

"Woah, they burned someone in there." Hanju waved a hand in front of his nose for emphasis. Burning corpses wasn't that unusual, but it didn't made the remaining stench any better. Kakashi's nose twitched.

**"****Looks like our targets had important company." **

_'__Aa. And apparently that company had important information, or dangerous abilities.' _Kakashi frowned in thought. The first area was surrounded by a barrier, most likely – so there had to be high level shinobi. Very few chuunin knew how to create barriers, so they had to deal with jonin.

Fabulous.

Kurama nodded at his thoughts. **"It was most probably a medium quadrangular Fire Barrier, which can be held by kunai tags." **The bijuu shrugged. **"It's a pretty common sealing jutsu, so our targets aren't ****_that_**** high-ranked." **

"I bet Minato-sensei could break those seals with a single glance."

The Fox snorted, saying, **"Anyone with a brain could. Just disrupt two tags and the barrier collapses." **

Hanju snapped Kakashi out of his internal conversation. "This guy was burnt at least five days ago, maybe more," stated the Inuzuka, and Kurai barked in agreement. "His smell covers the nearby area, but there surely was someone else there. Do you have any ideas?"

Kakashi nodded. "I felt four chakras before, and since one of them died here…"

"There must be at least three enemies," Hanju completed, standing up from his crouched position over the ashes. For a long moment he looked at the young chuunin, then shook his head. "Let's go on the next area, Kakashi."

And they took off.

* * *

Minato felt more like an overly worried mother hen than a jonin.

Before leading any sort of undercover search through the town, the blonde checked every inch of their disguises-outfits to give them any kind of useful tips – where to hide weapons in case brawls occurred (with Kakashi's unlucky streak, chance would have a hard time messing with him), cover stories with shady types, confirming their abilities in hiding their chakra signature…

"Sensei, we _are_ ready!" Of course Obito had to whine.

Rin was so fidgety that she agreed with him. "You've checked our clothes, weaponry and knowledge _twice_ now – we can do this."

"Damn right we do!" Anko puffed her chest with pride. Those lessons with Orochimaru-sensei weren't for nothing! "We'll have each other's backs and complete this mission!"

Her upbeat declaration brought a small smile on Minato's face. "Let's go, then," he announced, nodding. He pretended not to hear their excited cheers as they walked down the street.

Occasionally Anko and Obito would separate from Minato as per plan, since Anko proudly proved her training with Orochimaru wielded good results and leaving Rin and Obito alone was a bad idea for the latter's focus. At times the black-haired boy would stick to Minato's side and the two girls went in the nearby shops to draw answers with an innocent smile on their faces.

Their genin training didn't exactly include information gathering skills, but the blonde sensei wanted them with every ability possible to pass the nearing Chuunin Exam. And get alive out of every situation, but that was implicit every time he taught.

When the shinobi reached the port, they assisted at an interesting scene.

"What do you mean you don't have _Taisei paper_?!"

"Forgive me, miner-san, but I don't have that kind of paper…"

The rough man, dressed in brown and dirty clothes, stomped in front of the flustered shopkeeper. "What kind of mining shop doesn't sell Taisei paper?!" he exclaimed once again in enraged disbelief, "I've come all the way here to get that paper, and now I find you _don't_ have it!"

The other man narrowed his eyes, left eye twitching. "Well, I definitely _don't_ – never in my life I've met a miner who wanted _paper_, of all things!"

The miner growled enough to further scare the nearby people, taking a menacing step forward. He stopped himself before he could rearrange the shopkeeper's face, stomping once again like a petulant child. He hissed something at the shopkeeper before turning around and heading somewhere else.

Rin noticed first Minato's narrowed eyes. "What is it, sensei?"

He didn't answer and Obito piped up with a scoff, "That was a jerk worse than Bakakashi. Can we kick him in the butt?"

Anko swatted his head for a question so detrimental to their mission, receiving a pained yelp. "Unless he's a target you can't!" she hissed, pinching his ear to underline her words.

The medic-in-training ignored them and asked once again, "You think he's an enemy?"

Minato nodded. "Taisei paper is used by fuinjutsu users to hold seals," he stated, and the two genin's squabbling immediately ceased. That 'miner' was definitely an enemy.

Once the enraged man was far enough, Minato sent Anko and Rin to a nearby shop, not so eager to attract attention in this town. The blonde and his student approached the mining shop, trying to appear not overly snooping by looking at the items.

The pickaxe reminded Minato of a mission he took with Jiraya, when a crazed man grabbed one from an opened box to swing around. He wasn't their target, not really – an innocent bystander caught into a poison cloud. The rogue he and his team faced was keen on using puppets and venom, as was almost every puppeteer in Suna.

Minato grimaced at the memory, and the shopkeeper caught his expression with a sheepish one. "These may not be the golden mining tools some newcomers want, but I figured the traditional ones would be enough," he babbled, then sighed. "Maybe I should have sold fishing nets for the fishermen. The clients would be kinder, anyway."

The blonde turned around. Lady Luck finally decided to give a helping hand in his quest! "Your presence here is helpful for whoever wants to mine," he offered with a smile, "as I am."

The man brightened immediately with the prospect of a kind client. "Really? Then let me lend a hand in getting you the best tools for you!" He nudged him toward the back of the shop, where the best kept items were hanged on the wall.

"Thank you." Then, "What do you know about the mines? I've never had the chance to explore them myself since I've arrived here yesterday."

"Oh, I couldn't either – dust and my nose don't get along well," admitted the man, chuckling to himself. "Everyone who knows about them calls them the 'Turtle mines' due to an old legend. It's said a huge, powerful turtle resided in there – his power was so great it was absorbed by the minerals! Ridiculous." He failed to notice Minato's un-amusement.

_'__It couldn't be the Sanbi, could it?'_ "The tale kept some away, but those who entered either had visions and never returned in there, or came out with glowing crystals and sold them at a hefty price for their beauty and rarity." Once again, the middle-aged man chuckled. "It was such a disappointment I couldn't get some of them, so I decided to sell mining tools to help the others." His face twisted into a scowl, remembering the previous client. "But I can't have _everything_."

Minato nodded. "I saw that man stomping away," he admitted, "and whatever his mining methods are, paper is a really strange choice."

"Exactly! But he didn't listen to a _word_ I said!" the man exploded again in a frantic mess, waving his arms.

"Is there anyone else that requires such odd materials?"

The shopkeeper nodded heatedly. "This month _five_ other people wanted Taisei paper, tags and _ink for stone_! _Five_!" he ranted. "Why can't miners ask for normal items?! If they wanted those things, why _my_ shop instead of one for writing tools?!"

Minato raised an eyebrow. "Five people request these things? I didn't think the other countries used those for mining."

"When I asked why, they just told me to mind my own business – those disrespectful people! All intimidating and sneering to whoever's shorter than them!" the shopkeeper kept talking, unaware of how much information he was giving. "Because they're tall like boulders, you know? Always glaring at everyone – especially at me, just because I don't have their absurd mining equipment!" He sighed tiredly, rubbing his forehead for his poor headache. "Maybe I might just buy those things, since they scare away any other customer – so much for my shop!"

The blonde glanced at Obito for a diversion, since this situation was a little sticky to get out of without the man babbling everything of this blonde kind client to the first person around. "Uuuuuncle, I'm huuuuungry!" he whined, holding his stomach and looking straight at Minato.

"Oh, just a moment!" he called back, then looked again at the shopkeeper. "Thank you, but now I have to get my nephew some dango – he never shuts up when he's hungry." He grinned with a chuckle, then slowly advanced to the door. "I'll return once I'm in need of getting new instruments. Farewell, and good luck with your shop!"

With that, Minato fled to Obito and led him to a dango shop they saw earlier, where Rin and Anko were told to go after leaving their target-shop.

They'll need to ask for more information without drawing too much attention on themselves, or worse – if rumors spread of shinobi roaming in these Turtle mines, who knows what the city would do to every ninja around.

* * *

The next area held a new chakra.

It was near the mine and a lake (if the over-sized puddle could be called that), but as long as they kept their signatures down no one without innate sensing ability would spot them. Maybe if Kurai tuned down her growls, their chance to be detected would be lower.

Meanwhile, Kurama dropped into an explanation of another barrier seal. **"It could have been a medium Repulsive Barrier," **the bijuu pondered aloud, referring to the first area. **"It's similar to the Elemental Barriers, but it's a whole higher level – if the user keeps giving flowing chakra on a tag, the Barrier can determine the intruder's element and respond with the opposing one." **

Kurama shook his gigantic head, then rested it on his paw. **"But since none of the four chakra rose that much, I don't think that's likely. Unless we somehow stumbled across a Fuinjutsu user with medic-like chakra control." **

"I wouldn't put it past the Timeline to do just that," Older Kakashi pointed out sourly, earning two grim nods.

_'__Do you know if there is one nearby in this period? Just to know if we should worry.' _

"Uhm… as far as I remember, no. Maybe someone in Suna or Kumo… Kiri's Fuinjutsu users aren't very known." A shrug. "Right now, I don't think there's anyone with medic-like chakra control and seal knowledge. I would have heard of it."

Hanju's voice snapped him out of his conversion once again.

"Kakashi, what did you find? It's the _second_ time I ask you!"

Holding two conversations was difficult, and Hanju didn't make it any easier. "There are five chakra signatures, four of which were in the other area," he answered.

The jonin nodded. "I think they made camp here before heading into the mine," he pointed somewhere west where the mine was supposed to be. "Their feet left quite the mark – I think all of them are men."

_'__They've been careless to put that much weight on each footstep.' _

**"****Quite arrogant,"** Kurama added with a scoff. **"Just because there aren't shinobi around in that moment, it doesn't mean there won't be." **

"I think I recognize the shape." 

An inwardly raised eyebrow from his younger self prompted him to continue. "The indents are deeper than what a normal Konoha sandal leaves with full weight," he pointed out. "Those were _specifically_ made for slippery environment to stick better on the ground."

_'__What do you…' _A light bulb went on in his head, brightening the mindscrape. _'Those shinobi were trained and dressed to fight in watery locations.'_

"Those shinobi are from a ninja village near water."

Hanju turned around sharply, eyes threatening to leave their sockets. "And just how did you figure it out?" he asked suspiciously. This kid can't have _that_ much experience in tracking! "These are just _footprints_, we can't guess their provenience without other objects – shuriken, kunai, a torn sleeve of their uniform – but _not footprints_!"

And here Kakashi thought he was a level-headed Inuzuka. "The indents," he quoted, "are deeper than the average shinobi sandals. Our targets had footwear made to stick better to the ground – and where do you need better adherence than water locations?"

He could see the gears turning in the man's mind, while his ninken sniffed on the footprints to get either a smell or see for herself if Kakashi spoke the truth. After an examination of the clearest footsteps, Hanju had to agree – even comparing his own ones, the marks always differed in depth. And to say these footprints were left three days ago!

"You've got a knack for tracking and picking details, kid." Hanju sighed as he admitted it, not knowing Kakashi was dancing happily inside his head. "Your ability will flourish under Minato-san's training, but I don't think you'll stick only to tracking."

"No," he _chirped_. "I think I'll head to the battlefield once I'm ready."

Hanju raised an eyebrow. Most kids of his age would be soaking their pants at that thought, but Kakashi merely saw it as his next accomplishment. Besides, didn't he get his unhealthy dose of terror already? "Weren't you on the reinforcements sent last time on Iwa's border? The kid Kushina-san brought in the Hospital with a severe injury?"

A tiny wince. "…Yes, it was me."

His eyebrows shot higher. "You got very, _very_ lucky to have survived. Men died because of lesser injuries, you know."

"I know."

"And yet, your next goal is to go on the battlefield again."

"Yes." He said it without an ounce of terror, not even fear! Were the rumors about his determination true, after all? The kid of the disgraced White Fang, proving everyone wrong and putting Konoha above himself to atone his father's mistake?

They returned their full focus on investigating the surrounding area, knowing that in two hours they had to return to Shichi's gates.

* * *

**Phew! I hope this Chapter wasn't too boring for you loyal readers! :D **

**For whoever wants to know, Taisei means "resistant". At least for Google Translator. Not the best source, but for a word it's enough. And I truly hope my lacking English vocabulary made the 'explanation' for the footprints understandable... it's the shape that's different, like football shoes (?) with those things under. On wet ground, it should leave a deeper mark than normal shoes... maybe. Forgive me for babbling! D:**

**Next Chapter will involve troublesome developments, Orochimaru's disbelief and Kakashi's inevitable reveal of his new powers (just to let everyone realize he's got a new Kekkei Genkai) Until next time, and beware of the Kitsune's rage! ;)**

**Shiiroi Kitsune21**


	27. Chapter 26: A Mission Gone Awry

**Continuing the mission, I return once again! :D**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! You can't imagine how much my heart soars every time I read them! :'D **

**Fox's Ace: Thank you for the link! ;D And yes, I meant cleats – I checked the translation with Google Translator and double-checked by reversing the two words, but the English-Italian was completely different and I wasn't sure it was the correct word :/**

**Gacsam: I always thought that in the anime Obito got promoted the traditional way, since there was this image of him happily throwing his chuunin jacket. I guess I got that wrong… and a couple of other things… uhm. ':P **

**#1 Guest Fan: that story was hilarious! Thank you for suggesting it and, obviously, I'm glad my Chapter helped you sleep! I also fall asleep thinking about stories, both mine and of other authors ;) **

**Without further ado, I welcome you to this Chapter! **

* * *

**Chapter 26: A Mission Gone Awry**

"So, summing up… there are five Kiri shinobi in the mine who want those rare crystals in the Turtle mine to probably sell them and bask in money?"

"Not five, four," Minato corrected, and Obito finally nodded. "One of them apparently wanted to do something else and got killed by his four companions."

This time Rin and Obito looked at him in horror, shuddering. "K-Killed by his own _companions_?" she squeaked, not even bothering to cover her terror.

"Or maybe they're rogues." Kakashi shrugged, apparently uncaring of the fact. "Maybe they teamed up with that common goal, but when the fifth did something – or _had_ something – they didn't approve of, they killed him."

"And yet there weren't traces of a fight. A light scuffle at worst, but not a full-blown fight among nukenin," was Hanju's statement. "Most likely that guy wasn't aware he crossed his companions and got backstabbed."

Kakashi, Minato and Anko nodded in agreement to his theory, while Rin and Obito were a little frightened to hear it. How could people willingly leave the village they swore to protect and betray their comrades, both past and present?

There wasn't time to ponder on it and their sensei announced, "Tonight we'll rest, although taking shifts every two hours. The order will be me and Rin, Hanju and Obito, Kakashi and Anko." Five nods answered him and he continued, "We'll plan with the information Kakashi-kun and Hanju-san have on the mine's entrance and we'll strike tomorrow night. Any questions?"

No one spoke and four of them fell asleep.

* * *

Orochimaru had read the 'treaty' at least three times before believing it and a barrage of questions flooded his mind.

Kumo would surrender immediately if Konoha gave up Kakashi Hatake? Why _him_, of all ninjas? Only his blood relation with the infamous White Fang made him known, and yet the Raikage asked for him? First the Jinchuuriki, now even Sakumo's son?! What the hell was up with them?

What was up with _Kakashi _to have Kumo looking for him _this_ desperately?

Orochimaru didn't find any reasonable answer for the last question. And he _loathed_ not having answers.

Since the treaty was to be delivered to Sensei, then he might know something about this… odd… request. He won't ever accept this – _Kakashi was a great asset to Konoha, and selling him like this would just postpone the conflict_ – because both Jiraya and Minato would nag at him for all eternity if he even _thought_ about doing it.

But every other shinobi was sick of fighting, seeing their loved ones fall around them or return in a coffin, if at all. They didn't have enough foresight to refuse.

Orochimaru snorted. Another proof that feelings and emotions clouded judgment.

Maybe it was for a grudge related to the Second Shinobi War? Maybe some kind of 'revenge' against the White Fang? Was it about Shimo's Slaughter?

Ah, _that_ time. The Snake's lips twisted in a half-smirk. Yes, it was a massacre – it was rumored that Kumo brought its best shinobi in their outpost near Shimo, and Konoha replied in kind with the Sannin and the White Fang. A long, tiring and decisive fight later, the area resembled a lake.

Made of blood, of course. Blood, gore, corpses – quite a sight for whoever happened to see its aftermath.

Kumo fell silent for a very long time before daring to send a peace treaty. Perhaps it wasn't _that_ farfetched they would try to get their revenge, whatever form it might be in. Even a kid, apparently – they weren't feeling picky, were they?

But they had plenty of time to have it, why start _now_? What else would Kumo want from Kakashi?

Their first target was Kushina, now him… they weren't known to be quitters after only a few months of trial.

_Who said they were? _

The question was welcomed by a dead silence in his head. Indeed, maybe they wanted to get Kushina while Konoha focused on protecting Kakashi. Or maybe not, and there was something the red-head and the chuunin had in common. Something relevant enough to warrant Kumo's attention…

…This was getting nowhere logical. Orochimaru pocketed the scroll and hurried to return to the camp, trying to ignore the absurd possibilities swarming in his mind.

After all, it was impossible that Kakashi was a Jinchuuriki, wasn't it?

* * *

_The night after_

Minato quietly checked everyone's position around him.

Rin, Obito and Anko's signatures weren't hard to find – although suppressed, the jonin knew where to look and their concealment wasn't enough to make them invisible. His female student was right behind him to lend medical support if the enemies were guarding the entry, while Obito and Anko took their positions a few meters behind him, hidden from the mine's entrance by trees and bushes.

It worried him they had to face shinobi from Kiri (because what other Hidden Village had shoes specifically made for watery environment?) who could spot them and rip them to shreds somehow – Kiri-nin weren't known for mercy or lack of creativity, and nukenin were even worse.

Hanju and Kurai were carefully hidden over lush tree canopies, but Minato could see enough of them from his position to know they were waiting where they were supposed to – over him, ready to cover the genin and engage whatever shinobi wanted a ninken to maul him.

Kakashi took position – after a few protests and arguments while planning – beside his sensei.

Hanju had pointed out the chuunin wasn't ready for that kind of incursion, but Kakashi affirmed that he could hold his ground against multiple jonin – which earned a sarcastic, "As if I'll believe you," from the Inuzuka. Rin and Obito then told a brief version of their teammate's fight, prompting Minato to add, "Kakashi-kun dealt the killing blow to the enemy Commander."

That had gotten Hanju to shut up. But it wasn't the only reason Minato wanted Kakashi by his side during this mission – not that anyone needed to have it voiced.

With his unlucky streak, Minato would keep both his eyes on his student and _maul _everyone that dared to harm him. Moving like a Yellow Flash would be essential.

And then Kakashi frowned, murmuring, "The chakra signatures inside are jumbled."

"Jumbled?"

He nodded. "I know there are more than two, but I can't feel their exact position." Kakashi frowned further, displeasure falling over his perplexed expression. "I think that legend is true – the 'chakra crystals' are interfering with my sensing ability."

That was… not good. Minato tried to stretch his chakra toward the mine, and what he got back was a confusing mess of _something_. If he didn't know Kakashi had internal help, he would seriously think his skills needed polishing.

The jonin didn't like going inside a cave that blinded his senses. And yet, it was their mission – they had to go in.

Minato spiked his chakra in Hanju's direction, signaling him and two genin to go into the mine from another opening, one he and Kakashi saw during their investigation. The brown-haired jonin, Anko and Obito silently (not so much on Obito's side) left for the other entry and Rin took position right behind his sensei.

He hadn't really liked the idea of splitting up once Hanju told him of the second opening – almost a crawlspace, probably an unexpected result of mining too hard in the wrong place – but he eventually had to give up once Anko brought up the idea of a pincher attack.

Which led to Minato's group of Rin and Kakashi (for intimidation from the Yellow Flash's presence, medical aid due to the Hatake's bad luck and having two skilled fighters to protect the medic and fight the main nukenin) and Hanju's one of Anko and Obito, meant to hit from behind while the enemies' attention was focused on Minato or, if push came to shove, drive the enemies out.

He should have known their targets were shinobi, really. The more something isn't supposed to happen, the more likely it is that something _will_ happen. They knew the nukenin were used to fight near water, were from Kiri (which led to think they were most likely Suiton users), a Fuinjutsu user was among them and the mine's walls were probably covered in explosive tags.

And they were going straight into a ticking chakra-filled bomb.

* * *

Frankly, it was more of a labyrinth than a bomb – a dark, moist labyrinth filled with a chakra so dense it threatened to choke Kakashi.

**"****Minato wasn't kidding – this place ****_reeks_**** of Isobu's chakra." **

The once-jonin blanched at the tight knot it formed around his (their) neck, like the chakra was actually choking them instead of blocking their chakra perception. "Isn't there a way to turn this ability of your off?"

**"****Not without withholding my chakra," **Kurama scoffed, **"and returning your senses to normal. And with the Timeline out for our heads, I'd suggest keeping them sharp." **

_'__Why does it feel like this?' _It wasn't necessary to express what.

**"****It's similar to smelling something for a long period of time – after a while, you get used to it." **

"Let's hope the period isn't that long, then."

Both Younger Kakashi and Kurama agreed on that point. They followed Minato deeper into the Turtle mines.

The place was deathly silent, lacking even the dramatic drops of water from the stone ceiling. Only Rin's steps echoed every now and then, a sound easily dismissed as nothing by everyone unaware of ninjas after them.

There weren't any torches in the first part of the mines. Kakashi didn't have much problems with his heightened sight, and both Minato and Rin had to channel their own chakra to their eyes to avoid stumbling on random rocks or holes.

If Kakashi hadn't felt some chakra signatures inside, he would have thought the mines were abandoned.

As they delved deeper into the cave, they came across four dead-ends, which did nothing but annoy and tire them. No one was amused.

At the _fifth_ try, a greenish hue finally welcomed their eyes – and Isobu's chakra became thicker, forming a strangely familiar mist around them. It was the right way, but not necessarily the less dangerous.

"Crap."

**"****Crap, indeed," **Kurama confirmed, scowling. **"Kit, this chakra fog makes humans hallucinate their worst fears. Like a genjutsu, in a sense." **

Alarmed, Kakashi turned around to check on Rin, and her horrified expression didn't help at all. He quietly went by her side, spiking his chakra in Minato's direction to get his attention.

Rin looked positively terrified when both teammates reached her position a few seconds later. Her eyes darted everywhere on the ground, and her expression became more frightened as she looked around her. The medic-in-training was on the verge of crying or screaming in horror (maybe both) and Minato shook her shoulders.

"Rin, whatever you're seeing is not real!" he whispered urgently, searching in her chocolate eyes for a trace of relief – or anything, really. "Rin!"

The brown-haired girl trembled, and when Kakashi touched her with a chakra-coated finger she attempted to jump back and smacked straight into Minato's chest with a gasp. Recognition sparkled in her eyes, like she couldn't believe the blonde jonin was there.

"S-Sensei…!"

"I'm here, Rin," he mumbled, trying to calm her down. "I'm always here…"

**"****Naruto didn't have that reaction." **

Older Kakashi snorted. "Maybe because he was prone to run at his fears with a Rasengan in hand?"

**"****Probably," **said Kurama, although it sounded more like an affirmation. He shrugged. **"Then again, his worst fear at the time was losing the Uchiha to ****_him, _****not seeing everyone dead around him."**

"That takes the cake for almost everyone, but… yes, Naruto feared the first when he was inside the mist."

_'__You both already got inside this cave?' _Younger Kakashi asked incredulously, his eyes comically wide. _'Why didn't you say so before?!' _They could have saved so much time if they just pointed them in the right direction!

"We have never been inside the Turtle mine." His older self brought his hands up in a surrender-like gesture. His whole presence screamed, 'I'm innocent, seriously.'

**"****We've met Isobu face to face," **stated Kurama, then stopped. **"For Naruto it was more like face to stomach, but you get it." **

_'__He got _eaten_?!' _

"Eaten what?"

Kakashi was startled by Minato's question. What else did he hear? "Uh, nothing."

His sensei's expression clearly told him he wasn't buying it, but now wasn't the time to pursue his thoughts. Rin recovered a few seconds after that and the three of them continued their trek inside the mine, although she was still shaken from her vision.

Then an explosion shook its walls. The group stopped immediately and took cover behind two boulders covered in glowing crystals.

Another explosion and crumbling rocks raised a huge cloud of dust, forcing them to close their eyes.

Silence fell for about four seconds, and everyone held their breath.

Then _laughter_, maniacal and crazed laughter that echoed throughout the cave, laced with glee and satisfaction.

_That_ prompted Minato and Kakashi to quickly advance, fearing that Hanju's group was injured – _or worse, killed_ – in the explosions. Rin hurried right behind them, heart pounding in her ears. Her vision must _never_ come true, she'd make sure of it.

The crystals' glow brightened as they neared the source of the explosions, and the three of them remained as close as they could in fear of losing sight of anyone in the thick mist.

"Oh, we have guests?"

"Feels like it."

Someone laughed, and the group found cover behind a boulder. "Probably our guests are losing their minds in there, Sumori," that someone stated with glee, apparently picking up something from the ground. "It's nothing worrying."

"There is a huge chakra here. It's _not_ nothing."

Minato dared to peek over the boulder to look at the men inside the cave. There were four of them (as they discovered from their investigation), and two of them were mountains of muscle. No wonder the shopkeeper compared them to boulders.

All of them wore Kiri hitai-ate on their person, but their attire was so common-looking that they were easily mistaken as normal travellers by many. Several meters in front of them, a whole section of the wall lied at their feet and uncovered a lot of bright green-glowing crystals. The mist was probably held at bay by a jutsu of theirs, because Minato had a clear view of the four Kiri-nukenin.

There were six explosive tags on the nearer walls, and their elevated position didn't bode well for the jonin.

"C'mon, Sumori," one of the not-burly men chuckled, pointing at his muscular companion (Sumori), "What do your spooky powers tell you this time? The _whole_ cave is engulfed in powerful chakra!"

Minato almost smacked into a barrier – _a medium Fire Barrier, held in place by four tags_ – and, much to his annoyance, he noticed the tags were all in the open.

This was _not_ a C-rank mission by any means. Who was the idiot that ranked it?

Keeping the anger out of his face, Minato pointed to himself and upwards to one of the tags, then to Kakashi and one of the lower tags. His student nodded and Rin understood she had to remain behind the boulder while they disrupted the barrier.

Kakashi quietly sneaked behind the rocks, sticking to the shadows to avoid behind seen. 'Sumori' already sensed him, and alerting everyone further was just a bad idea. Fortunately for him, his older self's ANBU training helped him hiding his attention-grabbing silver hair and nobody noticed him.

The chuunin looked up and saw his sensei crouched upside-down near a tag on the ceiling. They looked at each other and, at Minato's nod, they removed the two tags.

And everything went to hell when the explosive tags brightened, revealing a chain-like seal linking the Fire Barrier to them.

"What the-"

"I told you, there is _someone_ else here!"

One of the tags went off in a shower of flames and rocks, shaking the cave further. Minato paid it no heed and threw four kunai to each nukenin before teleporting to the ground with another marked kunai.

Another tag exploded dangerously close to Rin, who shrieked in fright at the reminder of _another _explosion. The scream got everyone's attention in an instant, and one of the burly men dodged the kunai aimed to his throat-

And Minato instantly flashed by his side and cut it himself.

"The _Yellow Flash_!" Ah, an exclamation of terror. Yes, they were _damn right_ to fear him when they attacked _his students_.

A Chakra Clone appeared beside Kakashi and the chuunin left Rin's in his older self's care, knowing everyone would be mauled to death before harming his teammate.

Two explosive tags went off, and part of the ceiling crumbled and fell. The main exit was buried under several boulders, but it had gone mainly unnoticed in the chaos that erupted a second later.

The mist began to rise once again as the rocks crushed onto the ground, and Minato never cursed more being unable to teleport outside a place. He did leave an Hiraishin seal near the cave's entry, but the Sanbi's remaining chakra was too thick for him to teleport outside.

"Screw you all, I'm worth more than a bunch of crystals!" One of the three nukenin exclaimed after knocking aside a kunai, making a mad dash for a tunnel to his left. Oh, he was _so_ not running away!

Kakashi threw three shuriken at him and the nukenin turned around out of sheer instinct, dodging two and knocking aside the other. He took a defensive stance and the Jinchuuriki leaped to the side, his hands blurring into hand seals.

"Raiton: Lightning Strike!"

The blinding-white lightning hit the wall behind the nukenin, shaking the mine further. Kakashi followed the man's movements and readied his chakra to perform a quick Kawarimi, just in case. The indigo-haired shinobi was fast, but not enough to keep his life.

His gaze snapped to a crack on the wall on his right, as did Kakashi's.

"Katon: Dragon's Breath!"

"Katon: Phoenix Flowers!"

A dozen of scorching-hot fireballs rained upon everyone, dispersing the mist wherever they landed. Kakashi dodged to his left and, seeing his target doing the same, he hurled a chakra claw at his back.

The ninja was startled and jumped away, hissing when the claw grazed his side. The moment he landed he made a rush for the crack, stumbling. Kakashi felt the shinobi building up his chakra.

"Suiton: Tidal Wave!"

His shout was followed by a massive movement underneath everyone's feet, and the cave immediately started flooding.

_'__He can't have that much chakra!'_

**"****It's not his chakra – he absorbed part of Isobu's from the crystals!" **Kurama shouted back, and Kakashi's stomach clenched. Why can't _anything_ go as it should?

The mist rose higher, and the shinobi were blinded as they sent chakra to their feet.

He eyed everyone around him. Behind him, Rin and his older self were hanging on the ceiling, somewhat hidden by a massive stalactite. Minato was fending off two shinobi to his left, although he was more disadvantaged since he was closer to the green crystals and the hallucinating fog was denser.

Obito and Anko remained close to the crack, crouching on the wall and keeping their hands near their weapon pouches. That cowardly excuse of a nukenin was fast, he had to admit – but it probably was because of Isobu's absorbed chakra.

The wave was raising threateningly higher, nearly as tall as a four-story building. Kakashi leaped as far as his chakra could allow him, sticking to the rocks from which he could see the madman. If all that water fell, the _whole cave_ would!

"Obito! Anko! Aim your Katon at the water, NOW!"

The genin were startled at Kakashi's sudden command, but they hurried to do as told. The Kiri-nin smirked an insane, lopsided smile.

"Too late, _Hatake_!" he bellowed, and it wasn't hard to see his crazed look. "If I'm not getting away, neither will _you_!"

"Gatsuga!"

Hanju took that moment to barge in from below the mist (when did he ever get _there_?), spinning wildly with Kurai to kill the crazy nukenin and control the water himself. Obito and Anko spat two huge fireballs at the wave, and Kakashi watched as part of the wave evaporated.

But it wasn't enough, and the wave started falling.

The other two nukenin instantly dashed to the walls at the sound of rushing water, hoping to get out after the wave made the already unstable mine cave in. Minato followed a moment later with his Hiraishin, burying a kunai in his target's neck and leaving the corpse to fall down.

Then his blue eyes looked at the massive falling wave, and went wide in horrified realization.

"LEAVE!" He shouted over the deafening sound, teleporting by Rin's side as the Inuzuka leaped by Obito's. His hands were dripping blood, as were Kurai's teeth. Everyone alive stuck to the walls with as much chakra as they could spare.

But nothing actually prepared them for the wave's force.

* * *

The walls shook like during an earthquake, rocks and boulders of all sizes falling into the water. The hallucinating mist reached the shinobi's level, blinding and surrounding them. The ceiling kept shaking and bigger boulders threatened to fall down.

Obito lost his footing with a yelp, and Hanju hastily grabbed him.

"We need to get out!" shouted the chuunin, already crawling towards the crack some meters below him. He had to be careful, or he would lose his hold and fall to his death under rocks.

"You don't say?!"

He looked up to the violet-haired kunoichi. "Anko, watch out!"

She snapped her head over her and her chakra control slipped – a huge piece of the ceiling was falling on them! Anko fell with a scream, which turned into gasps as she hurried to stick to the rocks and avoid the falling rubble.

A warm hand wrapped around her torso, and she looked at Kakashi, startled. Was that a _hand_ made of _chakra_?!

The boy said nothing and from his back shot out other two claws, one heading to the falling debris while the other went for his teammates. Both were startlingly huge, and Anko gaped at the sight – as did Hanju.

"Get on my chakra already!" he commanded in a snarl and the man hopped on the claw immediately, keeping Obito's torso in a tight grip. Kurai growled at the warm chakra, but a look upwards to the falling boulder convinced her to jump.

Kakashi continued crawling to the crack in the wall, creating another chakra claw to knock aside the rocks that were getting too near his teammates. True to his nickname, Minato flashed to his student's position and nodded at him – Rin tightly gripping her sensei's green jacket and Kakashi's Chakra Clone close behind.

That instant was all the Timeline needed to trap him.

Their exit was blocked by another cave in – a minor one that had gone unnoticed, but one that sealed their fate.

* * *

The Sandaime was quietly sipping his tea when he heard an ominous _crick!_ from the cup.

He checked the object and frowned. His cup was indeed cracked, although without a logical reason.

Or maybe there was one, he just didn't know it. His frown deepened, and he looked outside the window. The village was normal – not exactly bubbling in excitement, but not completely somber, either. It was expected during wartime.

And yet… what happened for his cup to crack?

He looked down at his paperwork, then at the door. Hiruzen was tempted to send aid to _someone_, just in case this superstition was true. But he knew he couldn't waste ninjas on this feeling of _something very, very bad happened _and returned to his work.

But the bad feeling never left.

* * *

**That's evil, I know. But the Chapter would have been too long if I continued with the other block of text, in my opinion.**

**I'll be honest and say I'm not proud of this Chapter. I hope everything is clear enough – then again, it basically is everyone sneaking inside the Turtle mine, being blinded by the mist (which appeared during the Sanbi's Saga in the anime) and trapped by both the Timeline and a crazy Kiri-nukenin that was exposed too much to Isobu's chakra crystals. **

**And no, they're not dead. Yet. **

**...no, I'm not so evil to kill them like this.**

**Beware of the Kitsune's rage! ;)**

**Shiiroi Kitsune21**


	28. Chapter 27: Leaving

***Gasp* "307 reviews?!" *faints* **

**Huzzah to everyone who reviewed, fav'ed and followed! You have inspired me to continue once more, rising bravely against the Writer Block in an endless fight to write this Chapter for you! Feel my love for you! **

**…*****cough* Alright, you got it. **

**The number of you reviewers is too big for me to thank each of you here! That's amaaaaaazing! The message for you all is: "THANK YOU SO MUCH MY DEARIES! All the support you show me shall be taken to heart and treasured for the future Chapters! :D" **

**My #1 Guest Fan: My Mr Ukki was a really, really funny and interesting story! And I'll give up my soul to bring this story to an end – I did promise it, and it being a Naruto-promise, well… you know how it ends for them! And 'Buffering' is a sad song :'( This is the price for all those cliffhangers, isn't it? **

**WingedAngel96822: I think Orochimaru would bribe 'Kashi-chan with a lollipop and bring him to his spooky dark laboratory… well, not really. But I think it'll be difficult to gain the bijuu for himself when said bijuu snarls, "DON'T YOU DARE PEDO-SNAKE, YOU!" ;) **

**And warning (?): not-really-graphic description of half-smashed body parts, but if you have enough imagination, well… I'm warning you. Just to be sure.**

**Hereby I present you the Block of Text you were waiting! :D**

* * *

**Chapter 27: Leaving**

Kakashi's head pounded when he awoke. If the pain wasn't an indicator of his survival, he might have thought his head was smashed in.

He felt uneven, wet stone underneath his right cheek, and water dripped down his hair. The boy slowly got into a sitting position (if it could be called that), looked around and squinted, seeing only darkness around him. His chakra felt too dense to be forced in his eyes and he gave up.

_'__What… happened?' _

No one answered him for a long time (_well, it felt long, but it probably was just a few seconds_) and he almost dreaded he was alone in his head when Kurama gruffly replied, **"A cave in." **

_'__Cave in…?' _His memories sluggishly came to his mind, and his eyes widened. There wasn't any exit, and Minato had grasped his arm-

-_then his vision blurred, and it felt like a Shunshin_-

Kakashi clutched his head with a groan. Minato-sensei attempted to teleport them outside, but it seemed he got halfway to his marking kunai. Somehow. The rest of the memory wasn't clear enough to understand what happened exactly, but the chuunin was sure it involved rocks. _Lots_ of rocks.

Someone groaned near him.

He turned around and winced at the sharp pain in his head. He forced his chakra toward the sound, and he didn't know whether to feel relieved or worried that Anko was a couple of meters to his right. After all, the smell of blood was unmistakable.

"Anko?" he whispered cautiously, crawling near her. He didn't trust himself not to fall face-first if he stood up.

The kunoichi groaned again, then whimpered. He still didn't have any idea about her condition, but she was most likely injured.

**"****Use the Bijuu Cloak." **Kakashi heeded the sighed suggestion and tried to focus his and Kurama's chakra on his skin. The bijuu seemed to take pity of the boy and helped him.

The area around him instantly brightened, although knowing how big – _or rather, how cramped_ – the space was almost gave him claustrophobia. Kakashi squinted to his surroundings, then froze when his eyes landed on Anko.

Her left arm was partially under a boulder, bleeding, half-smashed and bent at a painful angle.

Anko weakly tried to shield her eyes with her right arm, but even that action seemed to drain her of her energy. She was face down on the wet stone, and Kakashi could tell she lost a lot of blood by her paler-than-usual complexion (and by the slowly-growing pool of blood under her arm).

"Wha…?"

"It's me, Anko," he whispered, hoping she didn't realize her arm looked more like crushed meat. "Don't worry. I'm Kakashi."

Her light brown eyes were struggling to focus on his masked face. "Kaka…shi…?"

_'__What now?'_

**"****We move her away from the boulder and fix her arm." **Like it was the easiest and most obvious thing in the world.

_'__FIX?! How do you fix that?!' _Kakashi inwardly shouted, disbelieving. Just how the hell did anyone 'fix' a half-smashed arm without medical training or proper instruments?!

"Oh, we can." His older self _chuckled_, as if he was _amused_ by the chuunin's shock. "Iryo-ninjutsu are based mostly on chakra control and knowledge of the human body. Between the three of us," he gestured to himself, Kakashi and Kurama, "we have enough control to fix just about everything. I think."

Before the boy could argue it wasn't that simple and his confidence didn't help matters, the bijuu spoke up. **"We lift that rock, wrap Anko's arm into our chakra, move her away and fix her arm. It's not that difficult to understand." **

_'__But-'_

"And it's not like I didn't look into medical books when I was trapped into the Hospital, eh. After finishing Jiraya-sama's novels, I had to occupy my time and Tsunade-sama allowed me to read something else."

Kurama snorted. **"Or rather, she had enough of your ****_giggling_**** when you read those smut novels." **

"They're not _that_ bad-"

_'__HEY!'_

Somehow, Anko mustered up enough force to look at her left arm – and her expression became utterly horrified. Her mouth widened as if she was about to scream, but Kakashi put his hand on it.

"Anko, _don't_," he ordered with the best _I-know-what-I'm-doing-don't-worry_ voice he could manage. If she started screaming and thrashing, who knows how her arm would be reduced… or who would hear her. "I'm going to fix it, but I need you to remain still and _silent_. Can you do it?"

The violet-haired kunoichi didn't seem too excited about his plan, but she nodded once and Kakashi really hoped she would do as ordered. Anko kept looking at him through wide eyes – _probably because he resembled a human torch _– but the chuunin told her not to make a sound, and she wouldn't.

Two chakra claws formed on his left shoulder and Kakashi grasped Anko's right arm, ready to pull her out. One claw reached her left arm and wrapped it up to the elbow in warm chakra, while the other sneaked underneath the rock.

_'__Three, two, one…'_

They pulled.

Anko bit her lower lip to avoid screaming in pain, and she was almost sure she tasted blood when the sudden movement stopped. Kakashi thought about turning her on her back, but his older self shot down his idea.

"I'm no iryo-nin or psychologist," he said, "but I think it's better if she doesn't see the process."

**"****She's the ****_Snake's apprentice_****. Do you think she'd be scared of her own arm?"**

"Right now it's more like crushed meat and bones, and knowing her limb is like that isn't… a good experience. I would know."

_'…__It happened to you?'_

He didn't even need to nod. "I was unconscious when the medic put my limb back together. Mostly. But the bandages had gotten undone and… I should have kept the Sharingan closed. That's all."

Younger Kakashi decided not to ask anything else and turned his complete focus on Anko's arm.

Their chakra looked… liquid, almost, and every part of the girl's limb was mostly immobile inside it. Several pieces of what he assumed was flesh were partially torn from the bones, and her wrist resembled a reddish mush of _something_. Her fingers weren't much better, and he would have deemed her unable to ever be a kunoichi again.

But Kurama seemed confident enough in his repairing skills, and Kakashi figured he might as well go with his plan.

**"…****Alright. Hatake – the older one – recompose the wrist. Kit, put back together ulna and radius. I'll repair the fingers. And ****_don't touch the nerves _****without asking for my permission."**

Both Hatakes nodded and set to work.

* * *

Kushina's _shit is hitting the fan right now_ senses were tingling.

It felt like a persistent itch behind her neck, and she reached with her hand to scratch it. At first the red-head could ignore it – but now it was damn impossible. Something _really bad_ happened, and she didn't have any idea about what it was.

She looked around her.

The camp her team set up wasn't disturbed – the five Konoha-nin were keeping to themselves near their tents, while the six Suna-nin were doing the same from the other side. Not exactly _buddy-buddy_, but if it meant no vengeful squabbles Kushina was alright with it.

The red-haired woman walked to the center of their camp, checking the main seal of her Hexagonal Detection Barrier. Nothing was out of place – Kushina recognized every chakra inside and around the barrier. Team Sandstorm, Team Whirlwind, Team Eclipse… they were all there, undisturbed. Her squad, Team Volcano, was exactly where it was supposed to be.

Kushina had something to say about the names, but she assumed it wasn't the problem she felt. There was something else that triggered her senses.

_'__Kurama? Any idea about it?'_

The Kyuubi's eye twitched at hearing his own name. **"…My fake isn't supposed to exist, and he'll pay for it."**

_'__Jeez… I thought you had given up on _that_.' _Kurama was still thinking about his 'fake'. Figures.

**"****It's a ****_fact_****, human," **he stated, baring his teeth at his jailor. **"That fake will be killed once and for all for what he's done." **

Kushina rolled her eyes. Furball was feeling cranky and vengeful tonight, wasn't he?

* * *

Sumori had never been so glad to have a plan B.

Since his companions had been so stupid to leave trails that hinted their shinobi nature ("You requested Taisei paper in a mining shop _five_ times." "Yes." "…Idiots.") and arrogance ("This stupid town will never call ninjas, relax!"), they paid with their lives. But Sumori was smarter than that, and he hired a couple of nukenin.

…By the feel of it, there were little more than a dozen of people between ninjas and sailors.

He told them to remain hidden around the cave and surround it only if the seals he placed were disrupted. Which they were – courtesy of the Yellow Flash, a miniature version of the White Fang with a chakra rivaling the Sanbi's (_greater, even… far greater_) and other Konoha-nin.

Sumori would have felt honored to have them as opponents if his plan A didn't fail so horribly. Nobody would get those invaluable chakra crystals without teleporting abilities now.

He sighed. Oh well. He could always brag about fighting the Yellow Flash and leaving alive.

Two cloaked figures approached him, and Sumori could recognize their eerie green eyes everywhere. The twin sisters of Suna, Akuma and Tenma – wielders of two Demonic weapons, the Kyoujin and the Ogama.

The two women watched coldly as the Kiri-nukenin stood up, although limping. He was once again grateful to have two emergency exits ready, one easily found and the other well hidden. Just in case enemy shinobi did arrive and he needed a quick escape, using the rising mist and the chaos to quietly run away.

Tenma's Demonic Scythe glinted in the moonlight. "Who are the intruders?"

Sumori eyed her Ogama with curiosity, but he answered, "The Yellow Flash, another jonin and four _kids_." He spat the last word like it was poison. Being bested by a bunch of children was laughable in his line of 'work', but he fought the damn _Yellow Flash_. Although he had the advantages of being a natural sensor, having the mist and the thick chakra to hinder his enemy's sight and perception.

Akuma's eyes gleamed in malicious delight. "The Yellow Flash?" she asked – purred, almost. "I've always wanted to face such a formidable opponent with my Dagger." The green-eyed nukenin leisurely drew the Kyoujin, like she was already savoring the moment her blade would sink in his flesh.

"They're still in the mine," Sumori added, looking warily as the sisters' eyes sparkled in excitement. "Surround the place – their lives will be the compensation for thwarting our plans."

The Demonic Sisters nodded curtly and left as quickly as they had come, leaving the other hired men to drag their 'leader' away.

* * *

**"****Done."**

Kakashi wiped the sweat from his forehead. Anko's arm was back to normal, but she would have to not strain it if she wanted to keep being a kunoichi. He ignored his pounding head and, still keeping her arm in his chakra, he turned her around.

"Anko," he announced, "it's finished."

The kunoichi opened her light brown eyes and slowly turned to look at her arm, half-expecting to see it roughly bandaged and still bleeding. What she saw was… amazing.

Her arm was whole once again. She was completely stunned and was about to test it out-

"Listen to me." Anko immediately stilled and looked at Kakashi. He was obviously tired – _and_ _glowing?!_ – but his expression was set in a serious frown. "Once I remove my chakra, you shouldn't move your arm too much. It works, but it needs to remain immobile at least a week before doing _anything_ that might strain it. So don't move it, alright?" How he regretted not bringing a medical kit or something resembling a sling…

Anko nodded and the chuunin removed his chakra from her arm.

"Thank you, Kakashi."

"No problem," he answered to her whisper. "Now we need to find the others and a way out."

"Which is going to take a long time, since this place is a labyrinth."

Kurama sighed. **"We just need to follow the others' chakra and claw our way out. It isn't difficult." **

_'__Like fixing her arm, I assume.' _

**"****It's just as straightforward." **

It was older Kakashi's turn to sigh. "We don't have many other choices," admitted the once-ANBU, then he straightened slightly. "At least Isobu's chakra isn't as thick. It's like a breath of fresh air."

_'__If this is fresh air…' _

"Well, you got it." 

He got it, indeed. Isobu's chakra didn't choke him nearly as much as before and they only had to find Minato-sensei, Rin, Obito and Hanju – their mission was completed, since there was no way the last shinobi escaped sensei's kunai.

"Kakashi, _why_ are you glowing?"

He looked to his right, noticing Anko's questioning gaze. "Kekkei Genkai," he lied, using two chakra claws to dig his way forward.

"I've never heard of it," she admitted, frowning. "Not even Orochimaru-sensei told me anything about it."

Crap, Orochimaru. Everything Anko saw and heard would be relayed to the Snake Sannin. "It's a Kekkei Genkai of my clan, the Hatake," answered he, dearly, dearly hoping that the kunoichi wouldn't dig too deep. "But few… _very_ few… managed to activate it. It was kept a secret, and I didn't even know about it until I asked Sandaime-sama what it was."

Anko tilted her head to the side, frowning. "So it's like… a recessive trait, right?"

"Sort of."

They cut down the conversation to turn their focus on the cramped, wet and labyrinth-like cave in search of an exit and their teammates. Kakashi's head kept pounding every now and then, a persistent weight in the back of his head (or mind?) that just wouldn't leave. A concussion?

**"****Not exactly – although yes, it is a weight… sort of. Just not blood pressing on your brain." **

_'__What do you mean?' _

He could easily picture Kurama's annoyed expression. **"When I talked to the old man, I told him a part of your chakra absorbed too much of mine and was to be expelled. Do you remember?" **

Both Kakashi nodded, the older one warily and the younger in confirmation.

**"****It was the truth – the seal sequences holding Older Kakashi's chakra have an opening to expel it. Basically, this modified Nine Way Seal needs changing the 'filter' for two times – or more for adults – before the host adapts his coils enough to withstand a complete transformation without repercussions." **

This seal could be done on infants, too, and then it would behave normally. But sometimes the bijuu had befriended (well, more or less) other ninjas who didn't have adapted chakra coils, and the Rokudaime had to think of something. **"Normally, the chakra would just disperse gradually. But in this case, the seals contain a conscience – Older Kakashi's – and dispersing the chakra would mean a slow, probably painful death." **

Kurama hurried to explain before the Hatake could faint in distress or a sudden ninja popped up to fight. **"Currently, you're merging – but there can't be two consciences in the same chakra, and they're fighting for dominance. This brings us back to the three possible outcomes: one of you dies, you two merge, or both live. The last scenario means forcing your chakras apart, which would kill Older Kakashi if I hadn't thought of a plan." **

"…What plan?" the once-jonin didn't like having his life in a seal that could kill him if he remained, and kill him if he left. He wondered if that was what the bijuu felt like when sealed away.

They both could feel Kurama's smirk. **"I didn't allow your chakra to disperse, which admittedly could lead to an overload," **and oh, this was so _reassuring_, **"but it also means you're still whole. This… headache is the result of both the knock-out cave in and your consciences fighting for dominance now that the seal requires new chakra." **

"Which in turn means we need to find a safe place ASAP?"

**"****Exactly. We'll release you in a single, painful and probably explosive chakra blast, instead of dispersing it gradually." **Something never tested and never to be repeated, but no one had enough time to plan anything else. **"It would be like either an explosion, or a birth. Whichever." **

_'…__It doesn't sound good. How much time do we have?' _

Kurama hummed, thinking. How much time, indeed? **"I'd say as soon as possible, but not after ten days from now. Eleven at most, but I don't recommend waiting." **

"Well, we just need to find the others and return back to Konoha. Not that hard, right?"

They dearly hoped so.

* * *

A low whine resounded in the cave, snapping both Rin and Obito to attention.

"What was it, Rin?"

The kunochi bit her lip, rolling experimentally her left shoulder. "I think... it's Kurai," she said, slowly getting up and reaching her teammate. Obito took her right hand and the two genin quietly – well, more or less – hurried toward the sound, the Uchiha holding up a torch he had lit up with his Katon. He had never thought it would be useful until Bakakashi nagged at him to bring it.

The cave in could have done much, much worse, and they considered themselves lucky to be up and alive.

Rin had her worst injury on her left shoulder's articulation – something she had just learned healing, and once she summoned enough chakra control to begin the process Obito had woken up with a sprained wrist, healed a few minutes later. Their bodies were littered in scratches and bumps, but the kunoichi couldn't use up all her chakra and the two genin just cleaned and bandaged them.

The path was rocky, wet and uneven, which was expected after a damn cave in _and_ a tidal wave. The two kids of Team Minato silently followed Kurai's whines, and when they got there they stared.

The gray ninken was sitting by her master's head, nudging and licking it in an attempt to wake him up. But Hanju's body was crushed by bloodied rocks from the waist down – it was no use trying to reanimate him.

Obito turned a vaguely pale green, staring wide-eyed at where Hanju's legs should have been – and probably still are, bones crushed and blood splattered everywhere. Rin swallowed the lump in her throat, nervously licking her dry lips. Knowing exactly what mess was hidden under those fallen rocks brought a wave of nausea to her senses, threatening to make her puke.

But iryo-nin had to endure, and Rin would be a iryo-nin.

"Hey, K-Kurai," she called. The ninken whimpered and glanced at the girl. "There… There's nothing I c-can do for H-Hanju-san. Come h-here, we need t-to go."

Kurai's ears and tail fell even lower. It was hard accepting her master's death. Rin sat near her.

Even in the little time they had talked to each other, the brown-haired kunoichi had bonded with the surprisingly level-headed Inuzuka. They remained friends for only three days – and now Hanju was already dead. She couldn't help it: being friendly and polite was something that drew people to her, but she should have known better than beginning a friendship during a mission.

Rin didn't notice the tears flowing down her eyes until Obito squeezed her right shoulder. He didn't find the heart to lie to his crush, and nothing left his throat.

They remained frozen in mourning until Kurai's ears suddenly perked up and she started looking around. Then she barked.

"Kurai?"

The ninken spared another grieving look at her master's corpse, then nudged Obito's shoulder before silently sneaking toward… somewhere. Glancing briefly at each other, they followed her.

* * *

"Do you hear it, Anko?"

The kunoichi looked around her sharply, stilling her breathing. Then her ears picked a sound – scraping, scratching of claws against rock. "I do."

Kakashi, still brightening up the cave with his chakra, focused his gaze on a section of crumbled rocks to their right. The sound came from there, and he neared it as he kept an eye out for threats. Anko followed him and forced herself to keep her arm as still as possible.

She was amazed by the work he did: when she first looked at her limb, she had been horrified. She couldn't even feel it, and maybe that had been a good thing – Anko didn't think she could have remained silent if her nerves had been properly working.

But then feeling started to return to her arm, and the kunoichi watched in wonder as Kakashi created a chakra bubble (for the lack of a better word) and silently repaired her bones, stitched back muscles to the bones and slowly returned her control of her limb. It was amazing and completely impossible, and Anko wondered why Orochimaru-sensei didn't tell her of that Kekkai Genkai.

It was like a one man army: granting speed, strength, nearly infinite chakra – at least that's what she assumed, after feeling wave after wave of Kakashi's chakra – and medical abilities better than an iryo-nin's, maybe even rivaling Tsunade-sama's. Because no one ever repaired an arm half-smashed under a rock _on the field_ and in less than three hours. It just wasn't _possible_ to have that much energy and concentration.

"It's Kurai," her teammate breathed, eyes widening slightly. "And Obito, and Rin. They're just behind these rocks, all alive."

"What are we waiting for, then?" Anko was getting all excited to see her friends again, and if her arm wasn't supposed to be moved around she would have started digging. "Clear the way!"

Kakashi didn't need to be told twice.

Summoning three chakra claws, he immediately started shoving aside rocks of all sizes – luckily for them, there weren't big boulders in the way, probably due to the force of the cave in and the wave. The scratching behind the rocks became clearer, and the two shinobi could hear a sharp bark.

"What do you smell, Kurai?" It was Rin who asked it, voice full of hope for the better.

"It's us, Rin!" Anko called back, and they could hear Obito's yelp of surprise.

"_Anko_?!"

"Don't forget about me."

"Bakakashi!" The Uchiha shouted, relieved. Someone – namely, Rin – swatted the back of his head for his loudness and he lowered his voice. "Uh… Are you OK behind there? Are you poisoned _again_?"

It was meant both as a joke and a concerned question, and Kakashi refrained from snorting. "Of course I'm alright," was his statement, although his headache begged to differ. He had tried to use extra chakra to keep himself from swaying, but since it was caused by chakra overload the chuunin quickly discovered it was a bad idea.

The last of the rocks fell away under Kakashi's chakra claws and the four children almost ran to have a group hug – at least on Obito's side – but the way Rin and Anko were keeping their arms stopped them. Kurai glanced at them in evident relief, but her tail wasn't wagging.

"So… what happened to you?" Kakashi eventually asked. "Anko had her left arm injured, and after that we searched for-"

"Bakakashi, you are _glowing_!" Slack-jawed, Obito couldn't help but gawk at his teammate. What was he, a human torch?! Even Rin was staring at him like he had grown a few more limbs!

Was it really that unusual? "Kekkei Genkai," he drawled. Not knowing much about them beside Konoha's most important Clans, Obito and Rin just nodded in acceptance.

"As I was saying… we were searching for you and Minato-sensei." Then Kakashi frowned, looking somewhere behind his teammates and the ninken. "Where is Hanju-san?"

Kurai whimpered, ears lowered and gaze downwards. Rin was on the verge of crying when she answered, "He's dead, Kakashi. Probably… from blood loss."

Being reminded of her own bleeding meat of an arm, Anko winced in sympathy. She had been lucky to survive, and that was only because Kakashi was with her. The kunoichi would have died if he didn't know what he was doing…

The chuunin bowed his head in brief mourning – he had spent hours with him investigating, right? And yet, he didn't feel that sense of emptiness that followed the death of someone he knew. Kurama was unfazed as expected and Older Kakashi just… stood there, immobile in his mindscrape. This probably had happened several times before during this period, or his ANBU years.

"We need to find Minato-sensei, then. Let's go."

The genin and the ninken nodded in agreement and followed the human torch in search of the Yellow Flash.

* * *

Minato had been most relieved when the first chakras he felt were familiar.

Kakashi's bright signature flared like a lighthouse in the middle of the night, followed closely by the three genin's – Obito, Rin and Anko. A smaller chakra was within the group, and Minato recognized it as Kurai's – but Hanju was nowhere to be felt.

His 'mother-hen' instincts – as Kushina so aptly called them once – fretted instantly. There wasn't any adult with the children, and one of the nukenin may still be out to kill them!

_'__Well, there's Kurama…' _he conceded grudgingly. The bijuu had proven again and again that he could be trusted – more or less, anyway – so he could be counted as 'adult', right? _Right_?

Furthermore, if he protected Kakashi-kun… and his student watched over the others… then there shouldn't be any problem, right? …Maybe Minato should go and check…

A sharp pain in his right ankle made him grimace. Alright, maybe that was an idea for another time… but it didn't stop the blonde from cursing the pile of rocks currently crushing his ankle. He had thought about teleporting out the cave, but since the children were still inside he barred that option. He had to bring them all to safety, all of them.

Then Minato entertained the thought of planting a marked kunai near his position and at least free his leg from the rocks, but then what would be its state? What if he ruined irreparably by moving it in any way? He knew that the kids could have been in danger as he tried to get out, but if he wasn't fit to fight and move around he'd be more like deadweight.

The jonin almost laughed at his situation: here he was, the famous and mighty Yellow Flash, downed by a pile of rocks. It wasn't _that_ funny, but the utter inability to see anything and feel any form of chakra – other than the Sanbi's signature smeared on the rocks – was getting to his brain.

So when Kakashi's probing chakra washed over him, Minato answered with an immediate flare.

The blonde waited, wondering if between Kakashi's chakra and Rin and Anko's medical knowledge his ankle could be repaired fast enough – and was rewarded a couple of minutes later by crumbling rocks, footsteps and hurried voices.

"Minato-sensei! Where are you?!"

_'__Trust Obito to open his mouth first,'_ he thought with a smirk. "Behind here, Obito!"

A couple of seconds later, Kakashi's chakra signature rose greatly – at least Minato thought so, his senses reduced to hearing and chakra-feeling – and several rocks were thrown away by bright orange claws. Minato squinted at the light that temporarily blinded him. He was expecting a normal torch (the one Obito and Kakashi had bickered about for a good half an hour), not a…

…was his student _glowing_?!

"Sensei!" Rin and Obito were ready to throw themselves at him, but a chakra claw blocked their path. Glaring briefly at her teammate, the medic-in-training asked, "Are you injured, sensei?"

"My ankle is blocked," Minato pointed the rubble on his right leg, which stopped a little below his knee. "I could use a hand in this situation."

Like a charm, the four children and Kurai set to work immediately to free the blonde.

* * *

Akuma and Tenma were waiting.

Sumori, a couple of low-ranking nukenin and a dozen of hired sailors left for Shichi's port to prepare the ship. If the Konoha-nin knew of their imminent departure they'd have them already on their tail. Being the distrusting guy he was, Sumori left four hired nukenin together with the Twin Sisters of Suna.

As if that would stop them from leaving, if they wanted it.

No, they were there for the Yellow Flash – the infamous Konoha-nin, the one very close to have flee-on-sight orders plastered on his face. It would be a challenge worthy of a few hours of waiting on the sleek terrain – because _of course_ it would rain right before a battle of this magnitude.

Both emerald-eyed sisters took great pride in their legendary weapons. Said to be forged in the flames of the Yonbi by a master blacksmith for a Kage, both the Kyoujin and the Ogama were blades to be feared – smooth, sharp and unbreakable, but rumored to drain their user's soul with each slain victim.

Akuma was above such nonsense, and Tenma agreed with her.

And so they were waiting at the entrance of the Turtle mine, their gleaming blades hidden under identical dark cloaks and Sumori's seals planted right where they needed to be.

* * *

**Can this be considered cliff-hanger? Uh… well, it's pretty long...?**

***cough* Well, that's it! They start leaving, Hanju died – I know I said they weren't dead, but I had to add a death of someone on Konoha's side. It was just so, so… I dunno, too good on Kakashi's side. Like, no one died even though they all were worried to death. Tell me what you think about it ;) **

**Next Chapter shall (most likely, for most part) feature Akuma and Tenma's ambush, mysterious seals and a battle scene… with other… things… **

**Kyoujin means "assassin's dagger", Ogama means "Scythe", Akuma and Tenma should mean "demon". Sources from both japanesedictionary and google translator (but only for Ogama! Thanks Fox's Ace for the site!) :D **

**Beware of the Kitsune's rage!**

**Shiiroi Kitsune21**


	29. Chapter 28: From Worse To Worst

**Ominous title, I know :P **

**Well, shit's about to go down so badly it'll be like Madara's meteorite (?!) in advance… probably.**

**And argh… So… many… followers! And fav's! And REVIEWS! Their power is OVER 9000! *Epic Music!* **

***cough* Thanks and cookies to everyone who reviewed, followed, fav'ed and still believed in me to fight against my Writer Block! It means a lot to me, thank you! :3 **

**NarutoxHonoka: at first I wanted to put Rin in Anko's place, then I thought, "Why am I doing this?" and I put Anko for future… Orochok involvement… maybe. Uhm. *Awkward Admission Is Awkward***

**Rangelica2567896: Nope XD The Timeline is still out for their heads, blood, chakra, and… well… them. I just can't keep them out of trouble… ;P **

**Sailor Pandabear: uh… epic fail on my side… but I like 'Tenma'. The name, not the role I gave her… opsie, my hand(s) slipped on the keyboard while writing this… I should have kept my hands to myself… :/ And I already put Kurai (like 'Kuro', but a little tweaked to sound more for a female)… meh ;3**

**My #1 Guest Fan: Oh, just you wait… Kumo shall rise from the land (or fall from the clouds?), Orochimaru is still there and… buahahahhahah! *Evil Laughter with Thunders in the Background* And about the SI stories… uhm. I prefer the main character being someone I already know from the anime/manga. There ****_are_**** good SI stories out there, but I usually don't read them. The ones I had read a loooong time ago left me either confused or a little… bored (maybe? I don't remember well enough). I dunno :/**

**Warning (holy cow, I'm giving a lot of these now): slightly graphic maiming, general craziness, shit's-going-down-so-quickly and… ****_cliffhanger_****… (Then again, I always seem to write cliffhangers :P) **

**Oh, and just to clarify: I rely on the information given in the anime and what I'm making to… detach this story from canon. OVAs are excluded from my sources of info, so yeah… if you're searching for holes to poke in this Chapter… it might be because I simply didn't know of them…**

**Since I've forgotten some Chapters ago to put this, I repeat: I do not own Naruto, only the crazy OC's and the t-t-theories. **

* * *

**Chapter 28: From Worse to Worst**

After Minato was freed and his ankle healed, the group immediately searched for a way out.

The jonin had glanced at his glowing student with a _what-the-hell-is-it-that's-absurd_ look, and Kakashi had shrugged in all his brightness of a human torch. The blonde looked at him from head to toe, feeling his eyes burning in the process.

Kakashi was completely wrapped in orange-ish chakra, but there were strange black lines and circles on his arms, hands, legs, everywhere. And all of them reunited (or began?) on his abdomen, where the proud swirl of a massive chakra container rested. However, only three of the nine sequences (or what once were sequences, since now they were more like streaks of ink on his skin and clothes) formed the lines – the other six once-sequences were instead creating a circle around the spiral, leaving only three openings.

Minato would have asked him – and eventually the Sandaime – what those meant, but with Obito, Rin, Anko and Kurai it wasn't a good idea.

"A-Ano… where should we go?"

"Upwards." Kakashi pointed the ceiling for emphasis.

Anko frowned, shifting her weigh nervously. "You can't just _claw_ our way out. If you hit a critical spot, the whole cave would crumble further…" she swallowed, "and then… Hanju-san won't be the only victim."

Rin murmured in agreement, and Kurai lowered her ears with a whimper.

"That's true," Minato agreed, nodding. "But it's also true that I have a marked kunai outside."

"A… marked kunai?" Anko really didn't have any idea about its usefulness – then again, neither did the whole Team Minato before the Kannabi Bridge Mission. It was a wonder the blonde hid that from all of them, really.

He nodded again. "Yes. If the kunai is within range and there aren't chakra-disrupting barriers or the like, I can teleport myself and everything I touch to its location." Minato smiled, winking. "I'm not the 'Yellow Flash' for nothing, ne?"

Obito was awestruck. If Kakashi focused hard enough, he could see stars of admiration in his wide dark eyes – not that he could blame him. Minato-sensei _was_ a living legend.

But Kakashi was too busy panicking to focus on his teammates.

_'__What is that chakra…?!' _There were six signatures outside, but two of them felt… strange. Odd.

Void, for the lack of a better word. Like trying to reach the bottom of a dark abyss, sure of its existence and yet denied of the confirmation. Chakra signatures aren't supposed to be like that!

Even Kurama felt nervous, his tails waving uneasily in the mindscrape. **"Never heard of the Demonic Weapons? And the… 'legend' behind them?" **

"…I only know that they're very dangerous to both the user and the victim," Older Kakashi slowly admitted, "and that they're carefully hidden in Temples throughout the Shinobi World."

**"****They are indeed very, very dangerous. They drain the user of their usual… 'nature'…" **which didn't bode well _at all_, **"and their chakra becomes neutral at first, then dark. It rips a human of what makes them so, transforming them into mindless killing machines." **

_'__What does it mean?!' _That sensation of void felt like looking into an endless abyss – an unsettling, frightening feeling of vertigo.

Kurama had to keep it short, or who knew what could have happened. **"The more those Weapons are used to kill, more powerful the user becomes. But it comes at the price of their soul, and what marks their chakra nature – ultimately, the chakra will lose its nature and become dark, and the user's only purpose will be to cause as much deaths as possible." **

"And this… void… means that someone with a Demonic Weapon is just outside?"

Kurama nodded grimly. **"When the chakra becomes dark, some users die; others gain the powers of that Weapon. You had already met an example of it."**

Older Kakashi raked his memories in search of that. Then it clicked, and that ominous sound was immediately followed by crazed laughter and a name.

"Hidan…!" 

_'__Hidan who?' _

**"****He wielded the Ogama, the Demonic Scythe." **The memory of a red, gleaming scythe flashed in the mindscrape, and Younger Kakashi had to refrain from physically jumping. That was a Demonic Weapon…?** "Ever wondered why he was so far on the deep end? Why he didn't use ninjutsu, and instead relied on his partner for them? Why he had ****_that_**** power? Why he was immortal?" **

_'__I-Immortal?!' _

"Kakashi, are you alright?!"

The silver-haired boy flashed behind a boulder at the unexpected sound, leaving the others in the dark. Then the words registered in his mind as well as the source, and he walked to his previous position. "…Just… something I've felt, Minato-sensei…"

He frowned. Was this situation worse than it looked? "What did you feel?"

How do you explain a void that feels full? A chakra without nature? "There are six signatures outside," he answered, "and two of them… they feel…"

"Feel _what_, Kakashi?" First time in history – well, in this timeline – that Obito addressed him with his proper name. He was barely restraining himself from flailing his arms in panic. "What is it?!"

"…_Void_. They simply feel like they lack something essential." Seeing the puzzled and wary looks on the other shinobi's faces, Kakashi dared to add, "Like the chakras were drained of their nature."

"How is that possible?!" Obito instantly exploded, earning a swat from both Anko and Rin on the head.

"Kakashi-kun, what do you mean?" asked Rin and the violet-haired kunoichi frowned at him, conveying the would-be-medic's question.

Minato's expression darkened. "Drained of their _nature_?"

Kakashi nodded. "Aa. And they are outside the cave, most probably waiting to ambush us."

An uneasy silence fell over them like a thick, cold blanket.

"So… what do we do now?"

* * *

Akuma and Tenma were as still as statues, waiting for the Yellow Flash to arrive.

Their eyes were staring at the cave's entrance and the peculiar kunai embedded in a tree nearby, once hidden by a genjutsu. Nothing that the Twin Sisters of Suna couldn't dispel, and discovering a strange writing- a _seal_ on it.

Sumori had given them several Fire Repressing Seals and Binding ones, saying, "One of the kids has a chakra rivaling a bijuu's, and I felt its nature it's fire. He's worth more than he looks." The twins hoped it was true for the sensor's wellbeing – if they found out he lied, the consequences would be severe for him.

"An unknown kid with bijuu chakra?" the wielder of the blood-red Kyoujin had asked icily. "You mean…"

"…there's a Jinchuuriki with the Yellow Flash?" Tenma's bloodlust was already rising, and both sisters had noticed the other nukenin scooting away in a poor attempt at stealthy self-preservation.

And so Sumori had asked (or was it an order? Oh well) them to capture the little Jinchuuriki if possible, instead of outright killing him. Tenma had almost pouted, but they soon set up the seals to get both the Jinchuuriki and the Yellow Flash.

And waited, ignoring the downpour and the darkness.

A minor chakra flare alerted them of an intrusion, and Akuma focused her senses on the people under a tree nearby, the one with the kunai – _one and two, adult and- _She blinked, then her eyes widened a fraction in disbelief. The second signature was _much more than an adult. Rivaling a bijuu… _

* * *

Kakashi could feel his sensei's disapproval in his signature. He really didn't want him risking his neck against those 'unknown, void' chakras, but the chuunin had insisted that teamwork was important even more if there were strong enemies.

And Kakashi had proven he could handle himself just fine on the battlefield and in a cave-in. More or less, anyway.

Six signatures. Two twenty-five meters to their left. One approaching from the right, one from behind. One above them. The other was- "Below!"

Both Kakashi and Minato sprinted away from the hands reaching for them from the ground and the Hatake built up his chakra, hand seals blurring in his hands. "Raiton: Lightning Field!"

A muffled scream came from the electrified ground, and the bright yellow (almost white) lightning streaks lit their dark surroundings for an instant – and that was all they needed. Everyone but Kakashi was leaping on the branches for safety – Minato was already somewhere on the highest branches – and a red gleam caught his attention.

"Kuso! That's the Scythe Hidan wielded!"

Kurama's ears twitched. **"This means the user has the same powers as Hidan, Kit – don't let him or her get a drop of your blood, or the attacks will reflect on you!" **

_'__What?!' _

"Katon: Soaring Phoenix!" There was no time to explain, and the scorching-hot flames – which had a suspicious bird-like shape, and were surrounded in steam as the water evaporated – almost hit them square in the back.

Older Kakashi had always a Kawarimi ready for those times, and it finally became useful when the younger was too distracted or, in this case, too confident in his senses.

But their chakra was flowing slower, his senses dulled, and only in this skirmish it was showing.

The chuunin grit his teeth from behind a branch. **"Chakra overload, Kit! Pay more attention to your senses or we'll be roasted or worse, cursed with-!"**

Kakashi ducked when a red blade came close to his chest, and hit the aggressor with as much chakra as he could focus in his fist. The hit connected with a dull thud on what was supposed to be a ribcage – but was revealed to be a wooden stump.

The offender soon returned striking in the darkness, and through his duller-than-usual senses Kakashi immediately noticed green, sickly pleased eyes. A dark cloak covered the nukenin's body and got in his way more than once when counterattacking – the piece of cloth was just too big, and covered the enemy's limbs.

Although shorter, Kakashi was satisfied to say he could keep up quite nicely with the unknown attacker – after all, he had the physical disadvantage and chakra overload – but now it was time to end the impromptu taijutsu match.

Three chakra claws shot from his back and tore at the figure's throat and right arm, the one with a gleaming red blade. It jumped away in an instant, but Kakashi felt one of the claws slashing flesh and tearing the dark cloak. Now for the introductions…

The nukenin discarded the ruined cloak with a sneer and a nearby explosion projected ominous shadows on a known face.

"This- This can't be!" Older Kakashi stated, his eye widening. "This woman was in the Bingo Book – Satsuriku no Akuma, Akuma of the Massacre – went rogue after she and her sister Tenma were caught slaughtering a whole town on the border with Ame. They _can't_ be here!"

And yet here she was, standing with a proud smirk on her face. Two red lines were painted on her left cheek, a glaring blood-red in stark contrast on her pale complexion. Shoulder-length brownish hair flowed behind her, framing the sickly pleased expression on her face. Her tight clothes left uncovered her arms and legs and were colored black and red.

"Quite a stand, little brat," she purred, toying with her red blade, "but if your dear Flashie dies…" Her smirk widened and she laughed, as if immensely amused by the thought of _Minato-sensei _dying. Which might have been true, after all.

But Kakashi didn't stop to ponder on it, instead charging at the nukenin with his older self's voice in the background. "They can't, they _can't_…" he repeated, and somehow the chuunin could feel his need to pace with a thoughtful frown on his masked face.

This time the Jinchuuriki forced enough chakra on his arms and legs that the limbs glowed faintly, resembling a less bright version of the Bijuu Cloak. Both shinobi were focused on their fight, blinking raindrops out of their eyes and keeping track of their enemy's movements to strike and defend.

Akuma feigned a slash with her Dagger to Kakashi's throat and he ducked, ready to sweep her feet and make her fall. But instead her Kyoujin continued downwards and he found himself right into its trajectory. He brought a chakra claw over his head and the other to Akuma's side, one to protect and another to slay.

Then something hissed behind his ear and he turned around out of instinct. His eyes widened and his breath almost caught in his throat.

Tenma swung down her Scythe, laughing.

Kakashi hightailed the hell out of his position with a lightning-fast Kawarimi.

He clutched his head with both hands, feeling ready to just curl up and faint. It was just by sheer luck and adrenaline that his blurring vision and overall migraine didn't get him injured, or worse. Or maybe Kurama and his older self had a hand (paw? Tail?) in that, too…

**"****The chakra is pressing down on you alone, apparently. Both I and your older self are inside the seal, so it doesn't affect us nearly as much," **Kurama mused aloud, then hummed. **"And knowing I made my guess from my prospective alone…" **

Kakashi's gut clenched as he tried to both pay attention to the outside world and the time-travellers. _'I have less time than you guessed, right?' _

**"****Most probably." **

They seemed to have picked up on his sudden fear, and Older Kakashi shook his head. "It is _my_ life on the line, chibi. Worry about the nukenin out there, not me."

A statement that was proven true a second later, when the wielder of the Ogama found him and dashed to his side to skewer him with the three pointy blood-red blades – which were luckily still bloodless.

The bark splintered and the Scythe was stuck in the tree, but Kakashi knew better than stop – he didn't even notice he was _that_ far away from Minato-sensei, this migraine was really getting to him – and he tried to reach Minato's signature through the fog that threatened to swallow his mind whole.

Or was it his older self's chakra, fighting for dominance?

He shook his head and almost stumbled when he landed and a fresh wave of nausea washed all over his senses. Alright, better not moving the head. No overly acrobatic jumps, either. Or sharp turns…

Argh, he was _not_ some sort of _invalid_! He was a shinobi, and shinobi endure whatever is thrown at them or dodge it. If a shinobi couldn't do just that, it was a _dead_ shinobi.

Which he really, really didn't want to be. He sped up through the rain.

"The Twin Sisters of Suna…" Older Kakashi really started pacing, seemingly giving in to his urge to move in the mindscrape. "Team Tortoise had taken them out… during my third year of ANBU… they didn't say _anything_ about those Weapons, why, why…"

**"****We started changing the Timeline months ago. It's more than possible that this is an event triggered because of our meddling." **Kurama shook his huge head and leaned forward. **"Let's get to your sensei. He must have finished by now." **

He had a feeling _this_ would be the last move they made, if Kakashi's faltering steps and misdirected jumps were anything.

But really, he didn't know the situation could go to hell _this_ fast.

A barrage of shuriken and kunai rained upon the chuunin, and he swung a huge chakra claw to toss them aside. Kakashi could faintly see lights in front of him, and he jumped into the thrashed clearing in a blaze of Kurama's chakra.

"What-"

Tenma's startled question was cut off short by a huge tail crushing down on her, the weight of the bijuu's chakra making itself known in the most traumatic of the ways. The ground shook and cracked under the tail, and the air itself became heavy and thick.

The brave birds and animals that had remained nearby during the nukenin's fight all fled to safety with a frightened cry, and the dark surroundings were suddenly lit up by a bright orange light. If anyone had cared to look in that direction, they would have called it a forest fire.

In reality, Kakashi's Bijuu Cloak had shifted to a form similar to Naruto's first unwilling transformations – bigger than normal, but smaller than the bijuu itself.

Not that Akuma had the explanation laid in front of her eyes. The only word she could call the thing in front of her was _demon, _and not her Kyoujin nor the legends she heard could make justice of the raw wave of power that hit her senses. Tenma's bleeding form twitched thirty meters to her right.

Then her sister sat, rubbing her back and stretching until she heard a satisfying _crack_ in her spine. "Aaah… that was cheating, you know?"

A growl came from the boy, whose eyes became an even deeper and angrier shade of red. His three tails swung down on the Twin Sisters, destroying the clearing further and causing the ground to shake.

* * *

Minato blinked, bemused by the scene, relieved to see his student and terrified – not that he would admit it – that his student didn't _look_ like his student.

Kakashi was completely wrapped in Kurama's chakra, about as big as one of the famed three-headed Cerberi the Inuzukas could transform into. But this time there was one head instead of three, and the whole figure resembled a long-eared fox – _Kurama is the Kyuubi imitator, duh – _made of orange chakra.

Much to his confusion, the woman wielding the red scythe stood up and dashed behind several trees, all crushed down by Kakashi's (Kurama's?) chakra tails. Even from his position thirty-five meters away – _yes, two cowards had used the Chameleon Jutsu to get away from him, and they did for about… thirty seconds? He needed to polish his skills again _– Minato could see the blood-covered kunoichi, and he wasn't stupid enough to approach the field while Kakashi (Kurama?!) swung around his tails.

He reached for the seal in his pouch, the one Sandaime-sama had given him right before departing. It was made by Jiraya-sensei, and it could shut the seal on Kakashi if the Kyuubi imitator tried to rampage around.

Was that it?

By looking at how Kurama focused on the kunoichi, Minato could tell the bijuu hated the two women. But the way he focused on the dagger-wielder, the way the cracks were created… the blonde had a feeling it wasn't just random rampaging, but a plan to some extent.

The ground shook ominously once again and Minato almost chose to throw his marked kunai when he stopped to consider. _The ground shook. _And the _under_ground was soon to follow…

_Obito, Rin, Anko and Kurai_! They were still in the cave, left there to let him and Kakashi take care of the ambush!

Hissing a curse and thrusting a marked kunai in the bark with more force than necessary, Minato created a Shadow Clone and returned inside the Turtle mines in a flash of yellow. The kids could _not_ catch even a _glimpse_ of Kakashi's true source of monstrous power, and it was his duty to keep the secret as it was.

* * *

Kakashi felt himself burning from the inside.

His already-worn chakra coils were forced to bear even more chakra, and the pressure in his head didn't waver in the slightest – on the contrary, it _increased_. His vision was blurry and orange, of all colors, but he was almost sure he could hear someone growl.

It took him a long (?) time to realize the sound came from _him_.

Or was it Kurama?

If it was… then Kakashi didn't have to worry about remaining conscious… the bijuu always seemed to know better, anyway – giving his power, his knowledge, his 'hypothesis', healing him and his teammates…

…Maybe… it wasn't so bad letting others do his work…

* * *

Kurama's growl turned even more displeased when Younger Kakashi completely gave up control.

It reminded him too much of when he forcibly took control of Naruto before the Fourth Shinobi War – this sensation of having all the power you could get, the knowledge to use it at its fullest but use it _alone_. Thinking about it, Kurama felt ridiculous.

He was so used to share his power, that now he felt lonely using it alone.

He, the almighty Kyuubi no Youko. It _was_ ridiculous.

"I'm still here in case you haven't noticed!" shouted Older Kakashi, glaring at him briefly with that one-eyed stare. Kurama's feelings must have been very clear for him to read through them. "And it won't be some chakra overload to stop us!"

The bijuu smirked. **"Then let's conclude this!" **

During his wild-like thrashing with his three tails – _he scowled at the fact it would be too dangerous to free more than the seal allowed without forcing it_ – Kurama had dug a nice little grave for the immortal Ogama-wielder. Her suicide attacks and crazed laughter almost made Hidan overlap her figure, but it didn't bother them that much. It just reminded them of how Shikamaru got rid of him.

So when Tenma tried to reach Kakashi with her Scythe, one of Kurama's tails wrapped around her and squeezed until he felt a sickly satisfying series of _crack _and _crush_. The nukenin gasped, but her expression turned into one of _bliss_ at the pain. Akuma didn't bat an eye, and instead dashed behind Kurama.

Her Kyoujin was charged with chakra, but instead of a steady blue it was the ominous gray of the clouds before a storm. The woman vanished from Kurama's sight and her chakra signature disappeared into thin air.

He had to hurry with the other nukenin.

Kurama rose on his hind legs and grabbed the limp body in his claws, ripping it apart limb by limb until it resembled a bloody mess of crushed bones and shredded flesh. The poor state of her body didn't seem to bother her more than a buzzing fly, but the woman didn't find the strength to laugh as loud as before. He hurled her into a hole in the ground and crashed a tail on it, making it crumble and bury her.

The Ogama laid on the field, now ownerless.

Older Kakashi groaned in their shared mindscrape. "I think… that chibi's chakra is pressing… on me now…" he said, resting his head on his palm. "Uh, no wonder he was like _that_…"

His conscious already started slipping into oblivion, and Kurama understood that forcing even more chakra was bad for them. He didn't necessarily need both of them alive to save Naruto and kill that damn bastard Madara, but he had come to see the younger as someone to care for. As someone who needed his help because of something he didn't want to happen – _the end of the world or the time-travel?_ – and now was on the same boat as him (them).

Against his better judgment, Kurama released the incomplete Bijuu Mode.

And that was when Akuma activated the seals.

* * *

When his clone was unexpectedly dispelled, Minato knew that something was terribly going south.

Not having enough chakra to create another one to leave with the kids and the ninken, Minato opted to bring them all outside with him. But not even feeling the nukenin's approach – _he hadn't seen, hear of felt anything before his clone was struck in the throat! _– was something that didn't bode well within him.

However, he didn't have many other choices as for now. If he didn't bring the genin outside this time, there might not be a next.

So he teleported them outside.

The rain had finally stopped, but it was still night and the only source of light was the moon. Its glow revealed a scene that Minato had half-expected, and yet he could feel something was amiss.

"Sensei! What the…?!" Minato shushed him, and Obito snapped his mouth shut.

The ground and the trees in a twenty meters radius were a mess. Every single tree was either crushed, torn, shattered or flattered on the field. The ground itself had huge holes – some of which had a suspiciously hand-like shape, while others reached further and had an almost oval shape. The area in the center was empty apart from four hand-like imprints.

The whole battlefield reeked of another chakra, reminding Minato of the Sanbi's inside the cave. And knowing its true nature, he didn't find it very hard to believe a bijuu went rampaging here.

The Konohan looked around, stretching his chakra as far as he dared to find his student.

But Kakashi was nowhere to be seen, nor felt.

* * *

**Another. Cliffhanger. My hand slipped. **

**Evil plotting on keeping the cliffhangers aside, I don't know if you like… this setting… I dunno, my hands just tell me, "Nope, thou shall write crazy characters who use crazier weapons and crazier last-resort techniques."**

**But probably the next Chapter should clear something... or not... or maybe it'll be more about the others and their freak out... uhm...**

**And oh my GAWD! More than 100k words?! What Sorcery is This?! #FamousQuoteReferenceIDareYouToGuess **

**(Has someone noticed the Traffic Stats of the stories cannot be seen anymore or is it just me?)**

**Tell me whatever you want (critiques, even, if they're constructive. My self-esteem goes south every time I write 'cause I think what I write is too absurd): suggestions, if you feel like giving me some. **

**…****I accept cookies, too XP **

**Beware of the Kitsune's rage!**

**Shiiroi Kitsune21 **


	30. Chapter 29: Striving for Freedom

***Pops in* "Hey guys! I returned!" *narrowly dodges an hungry hoard of readers who want to read the Chapter* "Phew… I guess I was missed?" XD**

**Thank you for your unwavering loyalty to this story, all of you who read this awfully-named story! :D**

**My #1 Guest Fan: How did you discover me?! D: And thank you for the suggestion, I'll read it… when I have enough time to spare ;n;**

**Bindi-fox: Don't worry, I'm not so cruel as to maim my poor baby! ;) It's just… complicated… but I guess both Kakashis and Kurama still love me, right? ("No we don't." *cries in a corner*) **

**Shurli: So many questions, so little answers! I'll do my best to don't leave you hanging… for too long… **

**Prescripto13: *stealthily takes macaroons* **

**Guest: I don't have any schedule or anything remotely suggesting when I'll update. Sorry :( And that problem with the switching scenes… uhm… I usually put the enemies' names fairly soon, so you have to remember what happened before that scene with those characters… argh, I'm sorry. I really don't know how to fix this :( **

**It's with the utmost relief that I present you the next Chapter! :D**

* * *

**Chapter 29: Striving for Freedom**

"Hokage-sama, Commander Orochimaru sent something from Kumo."

The Sandaime looked up at the nervous-looking chuunin. His shoulders were tense, and his expression screamed, "Why _me_?" in the highest example of discomfort. He was even fidgeting with the hand that was currently free from the red scroll in his hand.

The old man nodded and the chuunin all but fled after putting the message on the desk.

He scratched his head in wonder. If Orochimaru used a _red_ scroll, it must be a really important message to be delivered. He carefully opened the Blood Seal on it and started reading.

_'_Chuunin Ayato Hinohara went scouting alone-' The kanji somehow made glaringly obvious Orochimaru's displeasure, '-without an order nor a reason and returned with a brown scroll from Kumo. He later reported he was defeated by a Kumo patrol and sent back to the frontline with said item.'

The rest of the scroll went on like a normal report – Kumo was suspiciously less active, rare activity on the battlefield and more skirmishes during the night, ships were most probably sunk on the eastern coast – but, at the end, Orochimaru included a Containment Seal not unlike the ones for weapons.

With it the Sannin wrote, 'The scroll from Kumo, a treaty. Originally sealed with a high level Blood Seal based on the Cobweb using most likely the Raikage's blood.'

The Hokage raised an eyebrow. Why was this treaty sent to him in such an unusual way?

Opening said scroll, he wasn't sure what to think.

Giving up Kakashi in exchange of a surrender? At this point he would be asking himself 'why?' repeatedly, bashing his head against his desk – but he already knew why, didn't he?

Somehow, Kumo knew of Kakashi's Jinchuuriki status. And, had it been anyone but Orochimaru, the treaty's conditions would have leaked and eventually a lot of shinobi would have given up the chuunin for a break in the war. That, or revealing the secret to stop the unrelenting storm of requests to make the deal with the devil.

He thought he should feel outraged at the proposal. Furious that the Raikage dared to write this, angry that the secret had leaked months ago – Minato and Orochimaru did tell him about Kumo's sudden interest in Konoha's Jinchuuriki, didn't they? – and worried that Kakashi might be in danger already.

But he was the Hokage, and he would not act on his feelings – not this time, not during a war.

He put the scroll in a drawer under the desk and started writing a reply to Orochimaru's message.

* * *

Minato was stuck with big, huge, _massive_ problem.

He could go after the nukenin with Obito, Rin, Anko and Kurai. He could go after the nukenin and send the others to Konoha, hoping for the best. He could return to Konoha, report to the Hokage and set out with a searching team. He could leave the kids in Shichi Town and hunt the nukenin.

He could leave his student to his fate for a few days, and then take destiny in his hands. He could give chase immediately. He could decide.

But what was the best option, really?

Anko and Rin, although healed, still couldn't move an arm as they should in a battle. Obito had come a long way in these past months, but still nowhere qualified to chase nukenin – _who apparently were skilled enough to catch off guard Kakashi and Kurama and- _

No, not kill. They wouldn't. Kakashi's blood wasn't anywhere around the field, nor his corpse. They… captured him, then. There wasn't another explanation or possible outcome, _right_? Because Minato wouldn't be responsible for his actions should his student be dead.

What to do, what to do…?

Leaving the remnants of his team was a big no-no, meaning he'd have to bring them with him. Minato didn't exactly trust Fate to made them return safely to Konoha or heal nicely in Shichi, but on the other hand whatever he would do will be really, really dangerous.

How long would Kakashi have to resist, should they return to Konoha? Two days they go, two days they – and a hastily formed rescue team – return, but how much would the research take?

How long could Minato allow Fate to have its way with his student?

Or maybe he had a shortcut of sorts?

He barely refrained from slapping his forehead when a jutsu came to his mind. Of course, the Summoning Jutsu! He could inform the Hokage of Kakashi's capture (_not death, no no no_), leave the children in Shichi and pursue the nukenin with Kurai.

"Sensei? Sensei!"

Obito's yells snapped him out of his musings. "What?" he asked, already looking around for any kind of trouble.

The boy's face was the picture of concern. "Minato-sensei, it's the fourth time we ask you – _where is Kakashi?!_"

Ah… honesty is the best policy? "I assume… he was captured by the remaining nukenin." No use hiding it, the jonin told himself – not when it was blatantly clear that Kakashi was nowhere around them.

Rin gasped and tears already started pooling in her eyes. She clutched her shirt right above her heart, like she felt it could give out at any moment – and just imagining it broke Minato's own. He really failed as a teacher, didn't he?

Before his resolve could crumble and the nukenin could get any further, he summoned a toad, his mind too busy to remember what its name was.

"Tell the Hokage," he began ordering before the toad could speak, "that Kakashi was most likely captured by a dangerous nukenin near Shichi Town. Rely this message swiftly."

The creature froze for a second in shock at the news, then hastily nodded and left in a puff of smoke.

Now Minato just needed to drop his horrified students in the town and finally start his vengeful pursuit.

* * *

If the boy wasn't breathing, Akuma might have thought he was dead.

But he wasn't, and now she had the time – more or less, since she had to get to the ship ASAP – to properly look at him.

He was just so short and young, the nukenin almost didn't believe it was him that caused all the trouble she had heard of and saw. But Akuma knew better than most that appearances were deceiving little bastards, so it shouldn't have surprised her there was a damn _bijuu_ sealed in the kid.

A kid with unruly silver hair. Now, what did it remind her of?

…No way. The White Fang's brat himself? _That_ was the vessel for a three-tailed fox?

Well, he _was_ fight worthy. Quick, agile, and a behemoth of strength and intimidation when wrapped into the bijuu's chakra. A frontline fighter, although somewhat distracted during the fight. Like when Akuma expected him to counterattack and see through her movements, instead he fell for the tricks for an instant before flashing away to safety.

Or when his expression almost seemed pained for a moment, he closed his eyes and the next instant he was as alert as a hardened shinobi on caffeine. What a puzzling brat.

Such a shame Tenma didn't survive even with her immortality. The weight of her Ogama wasn't missed by her twin sister, and she wondered: could she use the Kyoujin and the Ogama at the same time?

If she couldn't, she might as well sell it or bury it. Or something. It wasn't exactly a stealthy item to bring around, and if it was just dead weight Akuma wanted to at least get a reward.

Speaking of reward…

"You got him!" whispered Sumori (mostly to himself, she assumed), just as dawn's rays started poking through the horizon. He turned to the sailors lingering on the deck. "Set sail immediately!"

The crew didn't need more prompting before the ship was on its merry way to… somewhere very, very far from the Yellow Flash. The brat was still bound and slumped on Akuma's shoulder, and Sumori motioned the nukenin to follow him. Grudgingly, she did.

Sumori led her into a room whose moldy walls were completely covered in intricate ink markings – obviously seals, with the kanji for 'fire' painted every now and then. The 'cell' was in the lowest level of the ship, near food and water and as far away from weapons as possible.

Not that a Jinchuuriki needed those to escape, anyway.

* * *

Kakashi woke up. Just not in the normal sense of the verb.

Groaning softly, he looked at the low and vaguely familiar ceiling above him – then his gaze lingered on the giant bookshelves, which seemed to continue beyond the strange ceiling. If he focused hard enough, he could have sworn it was lava-like, but whiter.

The chuunin sat up and noticed the floor looked just like the ceiling; the consistence was puzzling, though. It felt like glass, but looked like some sort of dense liquid. He frowned.

Could it be… his mindscrape? It sure changed a lot since he's seen it.

"Hey, Chibi!" 

Kakashi's eyebrow twitched at the nickname – he wasn't _that_ little! – and he turned his gaze upwards, where the voice came from.

"What… why are you up _there_?" he asked, and this time both his eyebrows shot up. His older self was above the ceiling, his white hair blending and – dare he say it – looking like part of the strange substance. His jonin uniform had glaring red and black streaks, a seemingly random pattern marking his whole body.

Older Kakashi wasn't about to beat around the bush. "Kurama fully activated my seals – whatever he's planned, it will happen soon!"

Plan? What _plan_?! "But we need to get back in Konoha to do it safely!"

"There was _no time_!" exclaimed the jonin. "When my chakra didn't press on you, yours pressed on me and Akuma got her chance to use Fire Suppressing Seals!"

If their chakra was out of question, and Kurama couldn't use his own- "What happened?!" It was _his_ body they were borrowing, damn it! He had the right to know what happened while he was out!

**"****Captured." **

Kurama's voice came from behind them, where the slender bars of the seal started appearing in front of the huge nine-tailed Kitsune before shimmering away.

Younger Kakashi's breathing (?) stopped. Scenarios upon scenarios of what could possibly become of him (_them_, he repeated, _they all were in this_) demanded to be considered, and Kurama's blank expression didn't help much.

Wait. There was one person that wouldn't allow this to happen, but if it did all the same then- "What happened to Minato-sensei?" A wave of urgency hit the giant bijuu, and his ears twitched.

**"****I had felt his chakra disappear into the mine," **he said, **"so I think he's still with the others." **

"Maybe he's even on his way there – I saw how he is when someone he cares about is in danger. It must look frightening on the enemy's side, really."

**"****But he's ****_with the others_****." **Kurama gave the bijuu equivalent of a raised eyebrow as he pointed it out. **"He can't just drop them somewhere without another jonin – even chuunin – around, not if he cares enough for their safety. And it isn't like he'll take injured genin against someone who faced a bijuu like me."**

Younger Kakashi didn't know what to do. He tried with all his will to just wake up, but his mind seemed unresponsive. He wouldn't admit any of it, but it frightened him – his mind was the only thing that should have been entirely his, since his chakra was now bound to Kurama's and his older self's and his body was borrowed more often than he liked.

But if his mind gave out on him, then what was truly his? Could he get his life back, when nothing was his anymore?

He forced himself to calm down. Basically, he couldn't use his or Kurama's chakra, he couldn't wake up, he was in enemy hands and who knows where. He should be grateful he wasn't dead, right? But the problem was, "What do we do now?"

Kurama was the first to calmly answer, **"As I said before this fiasco began, expelling your older self's chakra will be either like a birth or an explosion. My original plan was to find an isolated place to do it safely without hurting or damaging any Konoha shinobi or buildings." **The bijuu then smirked. **"But an explosion is exactly what we need now." **

"…Is this what I think you're suggesting?"

Kurama's feral grin was the only answer they needed.

* * *

Sumori frowned.

"Already trying to escape, is he?" the nukenin muttered to himself, scratching the back of his head. He sighed and, taking an ink brush from one of his pockets, he drew a couple of other kanjis and added more of his own chakra to the seals.

Akuma inspected his work – the intricate seals were more powerful versions of the ones he gave her and her sister, and she wondered where he might have learned of them. No Suna-nin could even think of achieving such mastery in seals, and that wasn't even the really complicated stuff she had seen when strolling through Hi no Kuni's territory.

She stiffened when she felt a wave of the bijuu's chakra hit her senses. Sumori's expression didn't change – he most probably had already felt it much before her, being a sensor-nin and all – but he added more chakra nonetheless.

Her question was just on the tip of her tongue when Akuma stopped to analyze the situation: the bijuu was trying to force its way out the Suppresing Seals, and Sumori was strengthening them to avoid a rampaging beast wreaking havoc on the _Ketsurui_. But were those seals strong enough to hold the pressure of that enormous chakra? Akuma didn't know.

"Do you have any idea," she started asking, "of who would reward us for catching this Jinchuuriki?" Having an unstable, ticking chakra bomb on her ship wasn't her favorite way to spend more than a day.

Sumori smirked. "Every Shinobi Nation wants to add a bijuu to their armies – we won't have any trouble finding a client," he assured her. He stood up and headed to the door of the 'cell'. "Kiri is the nearest, but Kumo has more urgency for more power – we'll sail there." It was an even more logic choice, since the destination written in the ledger of the port was a city in Mizu and they wanted to avoid the Yellow Flash.

Akuma nodded, but couldn't find it in herself to smirk. She felt as if there was a hole in her chest, even though there wasn't any injury.

Frowning, she headed to her room and hid her sister's Ogama under her bed.

* * *

By the time Minato finally arrived to Shichi with the genin and Kurai, convinced them to remain in the town and tracked Kakashi's chakra down, his search had begun.

With too little chakra to teleport, he had to seek everything that suggested recent enemy presence – all the while calming the citizens about his bloodied and ragged state, without hinting at the urgency of the situation and that _his student had just been freaking kidnapped and please can you move the hell out of my way to let me search for him._

Minato found the end of the trail at the port of Shichi, leading to an empty part of sea. Ever so careful to limit his panic from showing, he asked what ship was there and the jonin received a shrug from the nearby sailor. He refrained from lashing out at him only to save chakra, and stomped off to one of the most important-looking men around the deck.

"If I've seen a ship there?" the unknown man repeated unnecessarily, and Minato nodded curtly. The man stroked his beard leisurely. The blonde nearly punched him in the face for his unhurried thinking. "Why yes, I did."

He almost didn't believe him. "What can you tell me about that ship? Where did it sail to? When did it set sail?"

"Uhm… It was little more than a fishing boat by the name of '_Ketsurui_' – a really strange name for a boat, if I say so myself – and it set sail about… mmmmh…" the man took all his time to think about it, apparently. "I'd say… three hours ago? Three and a half? Yeah, I think that's it. The '_Ketsurui_' left three hours and a half ago for somewhere… If you let me get the ledger I can tell you what their destination is… or at least I think it is…"

Minato wasn't sure if he should kiss or strangle the man. He chose to approach the situation calmly. "May I get it for you? Just say where it is and I'll bring it here."

The man pointed a stall nearby and the Konohan was there in an instant, already flipping through the pages for the Ketsurui at the speed of light (or close to it).

"Mizu!" he exclaimed, "Thank you very much I need to go _bye_!" Minato took off, leaving the man alone with the book and a baffled expression on his face.

After a while, his adrenaline and hope drained as quickly as his chakra did.

In his haste, Minato had run in Mizu's direction – a little too optimistic in his rush to find his student – but the ship was already gone into the sunrise, gallivanting somewhere in the sea and gloating at how they caught a Jinchuuriki and lost the Yellow Flash back in Shichi.

He fumed and almost burned his last chakra reserve, but rational thought won the battle and Minato grudgingly returned back to the town.

Did he truly think to reach the ship, kill the nukenin who brought down the _Kyuubi imitator_ and whoever was with her, save his student _and_ return to Shichi without collapsing because of chakra exhaustion first? 'Saving Kakashi' sounded so much simpler and right when he discovered where the nukenin were headed.

When Minato finally returned to the inn with his students and Kurai, he didn't have the heart to tell them of how he failed them _again_.

Not that they needed any words to understand what his defeated expression meant.

* * *

A frightened toad appeared in front of the Hokage with a puff of smoke.

"Hokage-sama, Hokage-sama!" it squeaked, flailing its limbs frantically. "It's terrible, Hokage-sama!"

"What happened?" the Sandaime had an inkling of what could bring either Jiraya or Minato to send a toad straight to him. Just what kind of trouble did they end up into?

The toad stopped long enough to answer, "Kakashi-san was kidnapped by a group of nukenin near Shichi – he could be dead by now, Hokage-sama! Minato is trying to get them, but-"

_Kakashi was kidnapped?! _Because Kumo's outrageous proposal wasn't enough that day, no! For all the Sandaime knew, the nukenin could have been disguised Kumo shinobi sent there to get Kakashi!

He stood up, knocking his chair back in the process. "Sparrow!" he shouted, and an ANBU appeared instantly in front of his leader. "Call Team Hound at once!"

The man disappeared with a curt nod and the Hokage sat back in his chair, sighing. If his suspicion about disguised Kumo-nin was right, he had to write yet _another_ message to Orochimaru. He had to inform Team Hound, which in turn meant letting Kitsune and the Council know about it.

Danzo's reaction would be _delightful_, he just knew it.

* * *

**…****Is this another cliffhanger or you can forgive me? *Puppy-dog-eyes-no-jutsu***

**On japanesedictionary, "Ketsurui" means 'tears of blood' because… dramatic name is dramatic. *shrug* But you're still happy this Chapter is out, right? Even though it has very little plot advancement… but the next one will have more! Pinky promise! *pinky hanging in front of the screen***

**I hope this is logic enough, but I dunno. You judge.**

**...And I'm sorry this Chapter is so short :(**

**Beware of the Kitsune's rage!**

**Shiiroi Kitsune**


	31. Chapter 30: Travelling

**"****Returned for the apparently-monthly update!" **

***stays hidden behind the computer and avoids an hungry hoard of readers* **

**…****Missed me, I guess? Sorry for the long wait, my faithful readers! ;3 I'd shower you with all my lovable love if I could, so accept this digital shower of HEARTS! **

***Raining Hearts! Hurray!* **

**…*****cough*. Thank you for you reviews, fav's and follows! You patient readers, you! :3 **

**NarutoxHonoka: I didn't even think of it! *slaps forehead* Daaamn… Let's go with the version that he thought better of it or just plainly forgot about them… ops… **

**My 1# Guest Fan: I think this Chapter will make you even happier! And lightbulb-chan… XD That's so cute as a nickname! We've come a long way from 5,000 words, eh… ;) **

**Guest: Yeah, that too – but I guess the war has taken his mind off it for quite some time… meh. He'll need to find a good time to think about it! XD **

**Time2read: Eh… no Sharingan I'm afraid! Only his chakra and thus memories and conscious travelled, not the… weird pinwheel eye of his dead friend-evil mastermind. To know how he'll end up, keep reading! I hope it's something acceptable, since I've had it in mind for quite some time! **

**Kakashi lover: And Danzo gets screentime instead of the gallows! So bad! D: Kakashi isn't exactly in the condition to fight and… Orochimaru. I have different reasons to have him A Good Guy and A Bad Guy. I'll attempt to develop him as I see fit as the events happen under his nose... and we'll see if he remains a Good Guy! ;)**

**I hereby present you… Chapter 30! (How, we've really gone a long way since the Prologue. Seriously, thank you for all your support, ladies and gentlemen!) **

* * *

**Chapter 30: Travelling**

Team Hound woke up at the unholiest hour ever, getting ready as quickly as humanly possible to have an emergency meeting with the Hokage (who, for a reason or another, was still awake).

He explained in clipped words the general situation on their border with Kumo and Kakashi's kidnapping, informing them the best he could with the scarce Intel he had received. Hound didn't know if he should be cursing the Yellow Flash or pity him, but he postponed the thought for when they would actually meet.

They sprinted off to their border with Kumo until they had to rest – that was, at nearly 6 AM. Around the hour they _should_ have woken up if nukenin-or-Kumo-nin-whatever hadn't kidnapped the freaking _Kyuubi imitator's Jinchuuriki. _

_"__Enemies around?" _Hound asked through hand signs, and Cat shook his head. They dropped near the river to drink and eat in silence – at least until Boar spoke up.

"What do you think had happened, Taicho?" Hound stopped drinking to look at him. It was the flattest stare the other ANBU had ever received. "To our objective, I mean. The Yellow Flash isn't known for letting his enemies escape with one of his students."

Hound frowned in thought. "There are many ways a mission can go awry," he replied, raising an eyebrow. "And it's obvious it wasn't a C-ranked one."

"That much I understood, Taicho, but what kind of shinobi should we expect to fight? There aren't many that can take down a Jinchuuriki."

"A Fuinjutsu master is enough," Cat piped up from his spot under the shade of a tree. "Cut off the chakra, and even bijuu go down – with a seal that won't disrupt the delicate balance of the Containing one, of course. If the seals contrast with each other it wouldn't be pretty."

Owl stared at his comrade. "If we're facing nukenin, they won't be from Suna – there are very few Fuinjutsu users among them, let alone masters."

"What if more of them survived?" Boar rebutted, not unkindly. "We can't exclude that. It's likely that there's a Fuinjutsu master, but what about the rest?"

Hound cleared his throat, gaining everyone's attention. He had a Bingo Book in his hands. "The Twin Sisters of Suna, Akuma and Tenma. Last time we heard of them, they were smuggling Explosive Tags from of Hi no Kuni to Kaminari no Kuni."

Cat nodded. "Team Lynx had retrieved most of them, but at the cost of Pigeon's life – I remember." Then his expression softened. "He was a good man, that one."

Owl grimaced. Pigeon had been a friendly fellow, acting as a shrink when a comrade needed it. If there was someone in the ANBU who didn't have to die, it was him. "They didn't even bother to move away," he stated sourly.

Hound and Boar nodded in agreement. "Don't forget," the captain reminded them, "that this is just speculation. Don't be surprised if we meet someone else."

They replied affirmatively and kept travelling east.

* * *

Kurama launched into the most creative and angry curses both Kakashis had ever heard.

**"****DAMN IT!" **the bijuu then finished, slamming a tail on a shelf – making the chuunin wince. It was still his mind he was wrecking… **"He knows more than he let on, that…!" **Kurama growled something intelligible, but obviously meant to be an insult, **"and it'll take ****_days_**** to overload all those seals! Who knows where we'll end up before they stop dispersing my chakra!"**

Honestly, Kurama wasn't the only one with the right to complain – but what good would it do now?

"Is there _anything_ we can do?" Younger Kakashi empathized the 'anything', urging the huge bijuu to concentrate on anything that might be a better and faster plan.

If anything, the bijuu scowled further. **"Other than leaving a trail with my chakra? No." **He shook his massive head. **"This seal allows me to expel at most three tails worth of my chakra. The ones he trapped us with," **he growled, **"do the same with the chakra I feed them. We can only overload them and hope it won't blow Hatake in a thousand pieces." **

"Comforting, really." Older Kakashi frowned deeply, looking down at the bijuu. "Since your – our – chakra would be expelled through more seals in equal amounts, it'd be sheer luck I still exist."

**"****Something like that." **Kurama didn't sound overly concerned about Older Kakashi, but he wasn't totally indifferent either. **"Your chakra is attached to a part of mine – should it be dispersed through those seals, your conscience will just disappear." **

"So there _is_ a way we can make it out alive, right?" the young chuunin asked, antsy and worried about the situation they found themselves in.

Kurama shot him an irritated look. **"I'm ****_already_**** trying to overload the seals. Either someone notices my trail and breaks us out, or the seals will collapse under my chakra and we can hope he," **the bijuu pointed the older Hatake, **"survives when he gets out of your body."**

Younger Kakashi opened his mouth, then thought better of it. He closed it, frowning.

Basically, they had no way of knowing where they were, when – and if – the seals that kept them bound would collapse, who would find them first and if Team Minato, Anko and Kurai were still alive and well.

With a sigh, Kakashi sat down in his mindscrape and waited for anything to happen.

* * *

"_What?!_"

"You hadn't misheard, Danzo." The Sandaime shook his head at his friend. "I received news of Kakashi's kidnapping just a few hours ago, and immediately sent a trusted ANBU team to bring the message to Orochimaru and rescue Kakashi."

Danzo's expression twisted in fury, his eyes narrowing dangerously. He clenched his fists on the table as if tempted to break it with a punch. "Why wasn't I informed of this before?!" He demanded.

"Danzo is right, Hiruzen." Koaru frowned at the Hokage. "We should have been notified of the Jinchuuriki's kidnapping as soon as you had."

"But it's also true," Homura conceded, "that a swift response was worth taking a decision without us. I expect it was Team Hound, the one concerned with the Jinchuuriki's safety within Konoha, that you sent on his trail."

The Sandaime nodded, glancing at the Council and the ANBU Commander.

Kitsune was less than elated to know one of his best teams was sent away without a warning – he had to change the roster and let everyone know they were away, after all – but he understood the need to get the little Jinchuuriki back.

Homura and Koaru, both wearing an emotionless frown, more or less agreed with Hiruzen's decision to send Team Hound at dawn. They were probably more annoyed at being informed only hours after the news came.

Danzo, well… he looked as if he had been branded a nukenin and told to wait patiently for his execution. His frown was one of barely restrained rage, and his whole body screamed "How the hell did those incompetent shinobi lose a damn kid?!" with the promise of merciless retribution. Although it was unlikely he would physically punish the Yellow Flash, the Hokage thought it wise to keep an eye on him until Kakashi was rescued.

Danzo sighed. "Is there anything else we should be informed of, _Hiruzen_?"

Might as well tell everything. "Iwa's forces didn't expect a joint attack from both Suna and Konoha, so the situation is in our favor. The Suna-nin are respecting our truce and working with our shinobi quite well –nobody reported news of 'friendly fire' or attempts at anyone's life. Our forces conquered this part," the Hokage pointed a patch of Kusa's territory, "and Ame's eastern side. The Suna Commander confirmed that they are pressing directly on Iwa's southern borders."

Homura hummed. "So it means Iwa is forced to defend. We have the upper hand now – but what will happen when Suna decides to break our truce?"

"Kushina-san is there as we speak to control the situation together with three disguised ANBU teams and the Commander. They have been regularly bringing reports every three days." The Hokage gestured to a stack of piled scrolls among the others in the Council Room. "And the Kazekage knows that being at each other's throats will only be detrimental for both."

"So, 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend', uhm?" Danzo's voice was dripping suspicion, not that Hiruzen expected anything else. His friend had expressed his disagreement with the temporary allegiance right from the start, after all. "What of the other Iwa border, then?"

"Jiraya is yet to report any findings," the Sandaime answered, "but the Commander is holding his ground well. There have been minimal casualities and Iwa's forces are far more concerned with their southern border than the eastern, so it's unlikely we'll suffer a great attack like last time." _When Kakashi-kun nearly died, _he added in his mind, but didn't speak of it. They didn't care for the boy - only the bijuu was important in their eyes.

"How is the situation on Kumo's border?" Homura questioned an instant later.

Oh, that. "Orochimaru is successfully advancing into Kumo's territory, and he's almost sure that the Lightning brothers, A and Bee, are fighting in Kiri's waters, plundering and sinking their ships. Should he be careless, they would return to fight inland. And… I've received concerning news of Kumo's boldness."

Danzo was looking at him like he would at the Raikage. Hiruzen retrieved the brown scroll from his desk and handed it to his friend.

"The Raikage wants us to give them Kakashi in exchange of peace."

The other four people in the Council Room spluttered indignantly, and Hiruzen barely suppressed a wary sigh – now he _truly_ needed all of his skill to calm them.

* * *

They were resting on a tall tree at noon, having travelled since dawn to return to Konoha.

Obito, Anko and Rin had demanded to know why they were leaving Kakashi to his destiny, and their sensei had pointed out how they were totally unfit to fight anytime soon. "And I don't want to lose you, too," he mumbled to himself, probably thinking that Rin hadn't heard.

Instead she did, and was the first to accept his order to return home without Kakashi.

It tore her heart apart knowing he was alone among enemies, injured and being taken who knew where. Rin made it a point to avoid looking at anyone's eyes while they travelled and cried the tears left unshed since Kakashi was kidnapped. She had a feeling Obito did, too.

Anko kept glancing at her left arm – the one Kakashi had somehow repaired with his chakra – and, sometimes, she seemed tempted to move it. Then she would think better of it, and let it hang limply with a defeated expression. Rin had always known her as a blunt and smart girl, one of the bravest in the Academy – or so she had heard. Seeing her like that was… very, very sad, and somewhat depressing.

Kurai always had her eyes downcast, eyeing the branches and the leaves without the slightest hint of emotion. She didn't even bark or whine anymore, forced to accept Hanju's death.

Minato-sensei had been deathly silent since they left Shichi, and nobody was in the mood to talk – not even Obito.

But then, what was there to talk about? Kakashi was still in their thoughts. Was he still alive? Where was he? Was he injured? What would the nukenin do to him? What would the Hokage do about it? Would the rescue team be strong enough to save him?

Rin turned her red, puffy eyes to the nearest branches. She had never told Kakashi how she felt about him, and now she may never have the chance.

Her training up until now had been useless for her team. Fuuyuki-san always had to help her when the Kumo-nin caught up to them months ago, and by the time they were dead Rin was too chakra-depleted to heal a scrape. So many shinobi had saved her on Iwa's battlefield, and that was the first chance she had to test her healing skills – she had stabilized three Konoha-nin until Sarune-shishou and another iryo-nin took over.

And now? She had done nothing but watch as Minato-sensei, Kakashi, Obito, Anko, Hanju and Kurai fought against dangerous nukenin.

She swallowed. It wasn't completely true, she conceded: she had healed Obito and herself, and checked Minato-sensei's ankle after he was freed from a pile of rocks. Rin had done something, but it wasn't enough _and now Kakashi was_-

"Rin."

She glanced up, rubbing her eyes – _why won't the tears stop falling_ – and saw Minato-sensei beside her, holding her shoulder. The genin belatedly noticed she was about to fall from her branch, and dimly thought the jonin looked as if he wanted to cry too.

She realized the others were already up and ready to go, waiting for them to hurry up.

Rin mumbled an obviously fake "I'm fine," and joined her team in their silent return to Konoha.

* * *

_Four days later_

Something was amiss, Akuma knew. She looked around the _Ketsurui_.

A couple of far islands – probably Mizu no Kuni – on the horizon, a gentle breeze filling their sails, calm sea in every other direction and bright stars shining in the dark sky. There wasn't anything that could cause her increasing sensation of discomfort.

What was it, then?

Most likely it had to do with the little Jinchuuriki. It _always_ involved him somehow, although she never had a feeling this strong. She had a prickle down her spine at most while Sumori would jump and curse, pale as a ghost, before heading to the Jinchuuriki's special cell. Then he would return on deck a little more at ease, but always jittery.

It wasn't very healthy for him, apparently – he had gone in his room below deck to rest with dark circles under his eyes, and had yet to wake because of the Jinchuuriki's chakra.

If Akuma, even with her sudden regression in chakra-sensing (did it have anything to do with Tenma's death? Or with her Ogama?), felt tempted to squirm because of bijuu chakra, how bad was the situation in the 'cell'?

She decided to check, Kyoujin in hand. Sumori had literally scribbled all over the 'cell' and nearby walls, and not even he could create space to write more seals – waking him didn't sound useful.

Akuma warily approached the door. _'What should I do?'_ She asked herself.

That was her last thought as a sudden burst of chakra blew the whole ship up.

* * *

Older Kakashi emerged from the cold water with a gasp.

Head pounding mercilessly, he attempted to swim to his left where a few planks of wood were floating nearby. He was gasping, soaked to the bone, freezing and feeling like his body just wanted to fall apart – but, he conceded, it was _his _body now.

He fought against the fog threatening to swallow him whole, desperately holding the consciousness slipping through his fingers.

Paws.

…_Paws_?

He managed to ignore that insistent thought until he gripped – _leaned on_ – the floating planks. Then he just couldn't pretend it was nothing worrying, not when the evidence presented itself in all its uncomfortable glory.

First of all, his face felt downright weird, furry and strangely shaped.

Second, his hands were suspiciously paw-like and covered in wet white fur.

Third, he could feel something vaguely resembling tails waving behind him, and the movement came from him.

…Well. Bijuu _were_ condensed chakra. Kakashi's own wouldn't have made much difference when added to Kurama's. It just meant he had a say in what the body did, not being human shaped. That would have been far too easy… and awkward.

Older Kakashi could just imagine Minato's face when a look-alike of his student suddenly showed up, claiming to be either a relative or his student from a lost future, now sealed by the ancient and taxing Jikan no Fujin-

Something was moving behind him.

He turned around and his eyes widened in surprise: his unconscious younger self was in dire need of his help, ingloriously drowning in the sea.

The once-jonin swam by the younger's side and, through a lot of trial and mistakes, managed to put him on another floating piece of the ship. The chuunin was still, barely breathing – but still alive. That was very good.

Older Kakashi attempted to control the surge of powerful chakra in his new coils enough to walk on water, and failed miserably. He scowled, still soaked and freezing – now what? He had to wait there until someone stopped by?

He looked around, not willing to just float there like an idiot. Unfortunately for him there was only water as far as he could see, and the heavier parts of the ship were sinking. Only wooden planks and the sails remained afloat, all of them looking like they had been half burnt. Which was true, he supposed.

Then something on the horizon caught his attention.

It was… a ship. A big one, by the looks of it. Coming full-sail towards their position without the barest hint of fear as any merchant in their right mind would. Not a civilian ship, then.

Older Kakashi squinted to see better. If he could just see the flag…

…he wished he hadn't.

Because the flag proudly waving on the ship's mast was black and yellow, bearing Kumo's insignia.

* * *

**This is evil. But I said there would be some plot-advancement! :D**

**I hope Older Kakashi's new form is cute, badass and logic enough for you all! If not, I'm sorry but I just couldn't help myself - I've thought of it for some time, and I still think it's better if he's in this form. I mean, if an Older Kakashi suddenly showed up, can you imagine what kind of rumors would have spread? :O**

**Any questions? Suggestions? Curses? Write 'em all! **

**Beware of the Kitsune's rage!**

**Shiiroi Kitsune21**


	32. Chapter 31: Chasing Answers

**I'm an awful person. But I'm alive, and this story hasn't been abandoned.**

**A million thanks to everyone who reviewed/followed/fav'ed even if this story hasn't been updated since November. Man, do I feel like an horrible monster for keeping you on the edge for so long.**

**Warning: Angst at the end. I think more than I've ever put in this story. :(**

**(Btw, I hope this chapter answers to most of the questions you've asked.)**

**…****I'll just leave you to the Chapter. **

* * *

**Chapter 31: Chasing Answers**

"Uh… Commander A?"

"What do you see?"

"There is an… animal… with three tails…" the chuunin squinted. "And a kid, I think. It's hard to tell."

A raised an eyebrow. "No common kid or animal releases this much chakra."

The chuunin glanced nervously at his feet and was about to say something else when Bee intervened, saying- "They both feel like the Kyuubi - to Otto-san, that is."

His brother didn't even bother to let that statement sink in. Getting the (one?) Kyuubi Jinchuuriki was too important to waste any time wondering. If he was still and unconscious, they had to get him fast.

"Bee, Team 3 and Team 8 with me! We're taking them on board!" He shouted, and after a few seconds the two squads followed him to the sinking boat.

* * *

Kakashi had too little control over his chakra to free himself.

It didn't mean he couldn't (try to) fight back. The bloody bite marks and gashes he left on the Kumo-nin were proof of it.

They still carried both him and his younger self to their ship.

He bit and clawed at the offending shinobi until Killer Bee sat on his back and locked his jaws with a hand as the Gyuki's tails blocked his limbs. Chibi Kakashi hang limply on A's shoulder and he snarled, trying to struggle free. If Gyuki felt what he was-

**"****You aren't Kyuubi," **the Hachibi growled in Kakashi's mind, way too close for comfort. **"Yet you have his chakra." **

"Long story, Gyuki, long story," he thought as flippantly as he could and he felt the bijuu stare at him, shocked. Both bijuu and jinchuuriki were prodding his chakra with the same care one would use when leveling a forest.

**"…****What ****_are_**** you?" **

"Half demon, I guess?"

He shivered as Gyuki's probing chakra delved deeper, trying to reach Kakashi's core. It felt like being stabbed with a heated blade and he didn't have the time nor the control to stop him. He had felt this powerless only when Kaguya was destroying Konoha.

Kakashi's eyes closed and he caught a glimpse of Gyuki and Bee standing in his mindscrape before someone forced a muzzle on his jaws. He glared, but A was unperturbed and Bee slapped a chakra-suppressing seal on Kakashi's back.

He whined at the sudden loss of connection to his energy. Through slit pupils he noticed his younger self's chakra had been cut off as well. He still hadn't stirred.

They were in deep, deep trouble.

Bee picked him up as if he were an oversized toy, maneuvering him into a position that made it impossible to even scratch him. Kakashi tried to smack him in the face with his tails – he could still walk thank you very much – but Gyuki blocked him and growled, **"Don't." **

Kakashi didn't.

A random Kumo-nin – someone young enough to be a fresh chuunin, nervous and skittish – was following them with a tied-up Chibi Kakashi on his shoulder. He could hear A shouting orders to return to Kumo immediately and everyone (about thirty people, ugh) answered 'Hai, Taicho'.

Oh _joy_.

Bee threw him into a cage – why the hell do they have a cage exactly his size – with chakra-suppressing seals plastered on every side. The bars didn't give an inch, whether he head-butted them, bit them or clawed at them.

There was no getting out from inside.

He snarled and viciously enjoyed the way the nervous chuunin recoiled. It wasn't fair, he supposed, but he was stuck in an unfamiliar body and a cage, his chakra was cut off and he was being treated less like a prisoner of war and more like a brainless animal.

(Was that how all the bijuu felt before meeting Naruto?)

The chuunin – his blonde hair was already slick with sweat, and his hands were trembling – carefully put down Chibi Kakashi right next to him, as if he thought his bones might break with a slight breeze.

Kakashi decided to watch every shinobi closely. Maybe he could give some of them a merciful death, unless they were somehow important in the future.

Killer Bee spared him a glance before he left the dark, windowless room with the nervous chuunin behind him. The door was closed, locked and sealed.

Kakashi waited for his younger self and Kurama to wake up.

* * *

Orochimaru wasn't all that surprised when Team Hound reached the frontline.

They were one of the Hokage's best, usually the team assigned to guarding him as he dealt with sensitive information. If he didn't have the Sannin, Team Hound was there.

…Alright, he _was_ kind of surprised. Hiruzen didn't simply send them out.

When Hound told him they were there for the little Hatake – who had been kidnapped on a C-ranked mission, hurray – Orochimaru let them rest and sent a tracker team to look out for any signs of the boy on the eastern side of the border.

The Hyuga of the group frowned, but followed his order nonetheless.

Word spread fast among the troops. It didn't help that Kumo had suddenly let down the attacks and almost all of the Konoha-nin were having lunch, all huddled together.

Orochimaru hissed at them to "stop gossiping, enemies could listen – do you want to give them important information?!"

They stopped talking, like they were supposed to.

The Snake Sannin returned to the map he was inspecting earlier with three recon teams, planning which area Kakashi was most likely to be brought through. Those zones had absolute priority.

If Orochimaru discovered something interesting in the meantime, well – he needed all the information he could get to successfully support Team Hound's rescue mission.

* * *

Team 2 followed Kakashi's trail to the edge of the port in Shichi Town.

Ryoko Hyuuga frowned and let the Byakugan disappear. "It's strange," he said.

Shimuri Aburame nodded minutely. "Indeed."

"What is?" Nakame Inuzuka asked, confused. She nor her ninken could smell anything further than that place, but her chakra-sensitive teammates seemed to know what they were talking about.

"Kakashi's chakra is muddled," Ryoko answered, "and it's everywhere as far as I can _see_."

"That's a _lot_ of distance. Where does it lead?"

"That's the problem," Shimuri said, frowning as his bugs buzzed around him. "It leads in many directions, all in the open sea. He could've been taken anywhere and all the while his signature was changing."

"_Changing_?" Nakame couldn't believe her own ears. "Chakra can't just _change_."

At least she was sure smells wouldn't, making her task easier. That was, if she and her team could actually reach a point where her tracking abilities were useful.

"And that's our other problem – something must've been happening to him that he couldn't control his chakra." Ryoko turned his concerned eyes to Nakame. "If this change in his chakra didn't stop, his signature could be too different for us to follow."

And what a happy trek to Konoha that would be, especially if at the end of it they met the Yellow Flash. "We're not giving up so easily, Ryoko. What's the strongest trail?"

The Hyuuga's frown deepened as he activated his Byakugan. "It's a route that goes straight to Kumo."

They left the port running.

* * *

Chibi Kakashi finally, _finally _woke up.

"About time!" Kakashi tried to whisper, but it ended up sounding more like a growl. He tried to stretch his cramped limbs, but the cage was too tiny and the bars too near. He growled again.

His younger self jolted awake at that. "What-"

He couldn't move.

His hands – hell, even his _fingers _– were tied behind his back and his legs were tied together. He couldn't do more than flop like a fish out of water. That was, if he had the strength to.

"What the hell?!" he whispered, then his eyes became impossibly wide. "My chakra! Kurama, what- who- _what_?"

Chibi was staring at him, both shocked and… was that horror? "Kurama?"

He shook his head and tried to smirk. _'Try again, Chibi,'_ he thought.

His expression turned confused and the horror was gone. It was weird to watch him, since he was lying on his left side and couldn't sit up. "Future-me?"

Kakashi nodded.

"So it worked." The little chuunin was surprised, but also somewhat relieved. "It _actually_ worked."

He huffed a laugh, then he noticed the fire-suppressing seals glowing faintly on the top of their cell. His half-relieved expression turned into one of dread. "Are the nukenin still around?"

Kakashi shook his head.

"Dead?"

A nod.

"Who found us? Kiri?"

Kakashi shook his head again. If Kiri had found them, they would be already trying to get Kurama out.

"Kumo?"

Another nod and concerned eyes to boot.

The younger struggled to sit up but soon found out he didn't have enough strength to. His skin felt hot and itchy, and he didn't even need to focus all that much to find his chakra points – all of them hurt like hell. Shinobi must feel like this, he mused, when a Hyuuga blocked their chakra pathways.

**"****Not really. It's chakra overload, not chakra blockage-"**

_'__Kurama!' _

The bijuu smirked. Kakashi's relief was almost flooding the mindscrape. **"Ta-da. Both of you alive, just like we wanted." **

"By the way, you could have warned me I'd end up like this," Kakashi turned his head to his older self, and both stared at each other. "Holy Kami – I can _still_ talk to you."

**"****We are connected, Hatake," **Kurama sounded gleeful, even in that situation. **"If we're near enough, we can 'talk' just like before. Obviously, the distance could be greater if we had our chakra free – but, eh. At least they didn't put us in different cells." **

_'__I think they just hadn't prepared two.' _

"They didn't have the time." Kakashi grimaced. "Trust me. A and Killer Bee found us almost immediately after the ship blew up."

_'__It blew up?'_

**"****Pressure builds up, Kit, keep up." **The boy turned a mental glare at Kurama's teasing tone.

"Uh, by the way. I think Gyuki is onto me."

Kurama leveled a supremely unimpressed stare at his tinier and whiter lookalike. **"What. Did. You. Do." **

"Not my fault, I swear!" His blood-red eyes looked bizarre when he had panic written all over them. "He just told me I'm not you, and yet I have your chakra. And I may, uh, have called him by name."

The bijuu face-palmed. **"I should have expected no less." **

"But it could've gone worse, right? I mean, we're not dead!"

_'__Yet.'_

"I can feel your optimism, Chibi. It's too _strong_!" his older self mock-screamed and the chuunin tried to pin him with a cold glare.

_'__We might as well be dead!' _he snapped, and the time-traveller stared. _'You may have forgotten that we're prisoners, and what does Kumo do to prisoners? They'll torture us – we still have important information, we have personal attachments to Konoha's strongest shinobi! What do you think Minato-sensei will do? What about Jiraya-sama, or Hokage-sama? We'll be used as bargaining chips maybe, before they get Kurama out!'_

Cold anger bubbled and festered in his mindscrape. _'They'll use me, you and Kurama against Konoha – we _vowed_ to never be a danger to our village!'_

**"****Do you think I'd ever follow ****_their_**** orders?!" **Kurama snarled, teeth bared and chakra struggling to get free. **"Do you think I'd turn my back on you, on the village, on the ****_Rokudaime_****_Hokage_****?! After all I've done to save you and your friends?!" **

The bijuu crossed the distance between him and the little Hatake, glaring down at him. **"If there's anyone you should doubt, it's ****_yourself_****. Your decision to keep your comrades at arm's length was stupid at best. **

**"****A sapling will ****_never_**** grow to be a tree if you don't give it time and care – if you keep cutting its branches, if you keep denying its need for water and sun, it will never give you any fruit. And when it's ****_you_**** starving, there won't be anything you can do to survive."**

**"****Do you know what would have happened if we weren't here?" **Kurama didn't wait for an answer, his expression furious. **"Your comrades would've dropped like flies. Your teammates, your ****_sensei_****," **both Kakashis flinched,** "your students – everyone would be dead. It would all begin almost a year from now – from the ashes of this war a new one would find fertile ground to grow, undeterred and unstoppable. The whole world would fall to ruin if we weren't here." **

They stared at each other.

The silence was deafening.

"I- I'm just going to pretend this never happened," the older Kakashi eventually said, lowering his head to his paws. "We'll just have to be careful. Bee should know better than try to torture a fellow jinchuuriki. We should still be a couple days from Kaminari's coast. Hokage-sama has surely sent someone. They- They won't be late."

He sounded like he was trying to convince himself.

Kurama nor his younger self pointed it out.

* * *

_'__Otto-san?'_

The bijuu mumbled to himself and ignored his jinchuuriki.

_'__Hey, why do you keep ignoring me? Why do you leave me wonderin'?' _

He cringed. Ugh. Why did he have to sing.

_'__Come on, I just want you to say – why do you keep things to yourself that way?'_

The Hachibi thought about the strange not-Kyuubi. Anything but Bee's singing, literally anything would be better.

He didn't tell his name, but he knew Gyuki's. He spoke to him like teasing a bijuu was a natural thing to do. He had Kurama's chakra, but also a part of him was Hatake's. His chakra was as raw as a newborn's, swirling without control inside his body, struggling to get out. But he had clearly tried to redirect its flow to walk on water and to get free, so he couldn't possibly be a newborn.

He was an enigma.

_'__Through hellfire and rain you've stood by my side, would you ever tell me what you're hiding inside?'_

And Bee was as annoying as a mosquito. But he was also the only jinchuuriki to ever talk to him without fear.

Ugh.

**"****That… overgrown fox. It's part bijuu, part Hatake." **

The jinchuuriki was silent for a few moments. _'Uh,' _was his intelligent comment.

**"****I've never seen anything – or anyone – like that." **As much as it pained him to admit, it was the truth.

_'__Uuuuuh…' _Bee was suddenly non-talkative. Small mercies.

**"****He knows things he shouldn't," **like his name, for instance, **"and I know Kurama would never lend his chakra to anyone. Not to this extent, and not without taking over." **And nobody could eat his bowels like the Gold and Silver Brothers, because he was sealed.

_'__Things he shouldn't?' _his jinchuuriki asked, curious. _'What kind of things?'_

**"…****My name. And he must know more than he should about my brothers." **Kurama was somehow inside the Hatake kid too, and seeing how protective the not-Kyuubi was of the brat it was only logical to conclude he knew more about Kurama – and, by extent, the other bijuu.

He wondered if that included him as well.

Bee took a deep breath.

**"****Bee, don't." **

_'__Oh, my pal, we just met your friend! But he is one who's likely to offend!'_

Uuuuuugh.

* * *

Minato was literally bouncing all over Konoha.

He had taken to guarding Rin, Obito and Anko almost every hour of the day and often the night. Sarune had to shoo him away when she was practicing with Rin, pointing out that no one would target her in the middle of the village.

So the Yellow Flash would trail after Obito – _what better target than the clumsy member of the Uchiha clan_ – until the other jonin took pity of him and told him they'd guard him in his place. He trusted few of them and at first almost refused, until he saw Fuuyuki-san bring him with her team for light training.

_He'll be fine, _he repeated to himself as he left.

Minato stopped by the Hospital.

He overheard two nurses leaving Anko's room, whispering, baffled.

"Are you sure her arm had been crushed?" the brown-haired one asked.

"The Yellow Flash confirmed it, his whole team did," the other woman, black-haired, whispered back. "It's incredible. Unbelievable."

"Whoever healed her must be on Tsunade-sama's level at least!"

"I've heard it was… the Hatake."

The brunette frowned. "_Hatake_? Seriously?"

Minato was tempted to kick her knee. If it broke, oh well.

Black Hair nodded. "He was the first to provide medical aid – at least the report says so. It doesn't say how he did it, but it clearly wasn't _normal _first aid."

The other nurse shook her head. "Her arm was crushed in a _cave-in_. She's been lucky to come out _alive_, never mind keep being a kunoichi. Hatake had never taken seriously the first aid course at the Academy, nor after. What did he say then? 'If a shinobi can't take pain, it's a dead shinobi'?"

Minato thought 'the calm before the storm' was a fitting description for him at that moment.

But he couldn't deny that Kakashi had a low opinion of iryo-nin in the past.

The black-haired nurse shrugged. "People change. I mean, have you heard of…"

They changed their topic, so Minato quietly stepped inside Anko's room.

The violet-haired girl looked so small in that bed, almost like the pillow was trying to swallow her whole. Her left arm wasn't in a cast, but it was tied to a table next to her and an IV was hooked to it. A clear liquid was inside the bag over her head, the drops slowly falling.

Kami, she was just a _kid_.

"Hi, Anko…"

She turned tired eyes to him. "Minato-san."

"How do you feel?" he asked, then mentally kicked himself for the question when she frowned.

"I feel… alright, I guess." Her frown deepened as she looked at her arm. "No one believed me when I told them what happened. I didn't tell them of Kakashi's Kekkei Genkai – he didn't seem to want it known."

Minato sighed. He didn't have to worry about the Kyuubi-imitator, but it was a meager consolation. "He doesn't," he said, fidgeting. "It's something he prefers keeping… like a trick up his sleeve…"

"Minato-san..." she breathed, seeing his expression. "You did all you could, it's not your fault."

Here he was getting comforted by an eight-year-old hospitalized kunoichi. "I'm fine, Anko – it's you the one on the hospital bed."

Her eyes turned hard. It must be something she had taken when training under Orochimaru. "There's no point in wishing to change the past," she said. It sounded like she was quoting the Snake Sannin. "Hokage-sama has already sent two teams to find Kakashi – and his Kekkei Genkai makes him a chakra beacon, so they can't possibly miss him. There's… no logical reason to… worry."

She was trying to convince herself.

(Orochimaru was forcing her to grow too fast. Was it really for the best?)

That made Minato feel even worse.

"I know, Anko," he answered instead, "but sometimes emotions don't make sense. You can't help but feel them, whether you want it or not."

"They're… burdens." She didn't sound sure of that, thank Kami.

"They aren't," Minato promptly said. "Worry makes you consider everything carefully before your next move. Hope keeps you fighting even when all else is lost. Love… love keeps you alive, even when you think all you've done isn't worth it."

Anko was staring at him, her eyes wide but face blank.

"I… see," she said, hesitating. "Thank you, Minato-san."

He didn't know see why she was thanking him. "No problem. Just try to rest, alright?"

She nodded and he left the room.

* * *

_Rin had a hole in her chest. He had stuck his hand in it. _

_"__I'm dead, Kakashi, don't you see?" Her voice didn't sound right. She was growling. _

_He didn't mean to, he didn't- he didn't-_

_"__Look around you, Kakashi!" she spread her arms and only then he could see the crowd around them. "Look! All the people you've killed, all the people you let die!"_

_There were Iwa-nin. _

_There were Kumo-nin. _

_There were Kiri-nin._

_There were Suna-nin. _

_There were… Konoha-nin. _

_Minato-sensei was among them. So were Tsunade-sama and Hokage-sama. _

_So were countless other shinobi, glaring, pointing what remained of their fingers at him, accusing. "Murderer! Murderer!" they chorused. _

_He didn't mean to- he was too late- he had tried so hard-_

_"__Nobody's safe around you!" Obito – an older, scarred, sharingan-eyed version – shouted from his left. "You kill your friends! Your indifference and contempt poison your relationships, break bonds and shatter the trust you've been given!" _

_He sounded awfully like Kurama. His words stung no less. _

_"__Where were you when I needed your support?" a pink-haired woman hissed at him._

_"__Where were you when my brother killed my whole clan?" a raven-haired youth snarled._

_"__Where were you when my parents gave up me and their lives to save Konoha?" a blonde man growled._

_I-I… have tried, so, so hard… but…_

_"__Excuses, all excuses!" the young Uchiha – he was an Uchiha, he had the sharingan – accused him. "Your mistakes dragged us down, and we were alone to dig our way back up!" _

_But-_

_._

_-high-pitched chirping, a flash of light, crumbling sand-_

_._

_-the barrier had come down, everyone rushed, but the Hokage was dead-_

_._

_-Obito would never stop, I have to stop him before- _

_-before he- _

_He- _

_._

_._

_"__You could have done so much more," Kurama growled. "And yet, you still refuse to see the truth." _

_He's trying to fix- _

_"__Silence!" The bijuu hissed, its poisonous chakra bubbling. "All you're doing is not enough – you're playing a part, pretending to be someone you aren't, trying to fool everyone around you!" _

_"__If you don't change, neither will the world." _

_._

_._

_"__I could have been so much more than a murderer, Kakashi-taicho." _

_Itachi, I've never thought you-_

_._

_"__I could have been so much more than a nukenin on the run, Kakashi-sensei."_

_Sasuke, I've tried to make you listen, but-_

_._

_"__I could have been so much more than a casualty of war, Kakashi-taicho." _

_Yamato- Tenzou- I've looked for you, but-_

_._

_"__I could have been so much more than a name on a stone, Kakashi." _

_Rin, I've never meant to-_

_._

_"__I could have done so much more for my family, 'Kashi-kun."_

_Sensei, sensei, I couldn't reach you in time-_

_"__Not enough, not enough!" _

_I've tried-_

_"__Never enough, never enough!" their voices were muddling together, an horrifying chorus of all his past (future?) regrets. _

_I've done-_

_I've tried-_

_But I-_

_But-_

_._

_._

* * *

The Kumo-nin tried to ignore their prisoner's tortured screams.

.

* * *

**I've gotten stuck in the Assassin's Creed fandom, then in the Avengers and Captain America's fandoms. I've tried to claw my way out for you, and here I bring you a angsty chapter. **

**(Too much Winter Soldier and Civil War feels for me…)**

**It's a short Chapter, but hey I'm alive! It's something, right? ;)**

**I hope I didn't bore you (too much) or unsettled you (too much)... if this continues this story will take a very angsty turn... one that I wanted to avoid, uh. Ops.**

**EDIT (Answers): Kakashi's new form doesn't include the sharingan and he'd find easier to walk on four paws than two (if he could move :P) but that won't stop him from trying to walk like he was used to.**

**Chibi Kakashi is 'dealing' with the memories/nightmares of Older Kakashi. Poor thing.**

**(I'm practicing feels-hitting and you're my punching bags xD) **

**Beware of the Kitsune's rage!**

**Shiiroi Kitsune21**


	33. Chapter 32: Need For Insight

**Alright, Story Time! :D**

**I've finally gotten around to writing something that hopefully leads to some semblance of plot (I swear I had one, but I've gotten lost around the 'mission-gone-south' chapters) buuuuut needs people movin' and brains workin' before getting to the Good Stuff! **

**So I thank time2read, Angel Hatake, ChamaeleonEyes, AngelicRiver, cloystreng, Guest1, Guest2, Tamani, Suzululu4moe, NarutoxHonoka, Bindi-fox Unterflieger, buterflypuss, anaisntonfire, StorytellerD132, Kuroyuki no Ryu and MissSexyRain for their reviews!**

**ChamaeleonEyes: Kurama is definitely going to explain that multiplaying XD**

**Guest2: I was aiming for that, thank you ;D **

**NarutoxHonoka: Since Kakashi is in a Kurama-like body, he'll aim for bipedal but be more comfortable with quadrupedal… if only they let him use his limbs! **

**Bindi-fox: Kurama will skin them before they torture him ;P**

**Anaisntonfire: *whistles innocently***

**StorytellerD132: *keeps whistling innocently* **

**And oh la la, we have the first known fan-art for this story by courtesy of Kuroyuki no Ryo of Kakashi training his chakra claw! Look for this artist on DeviantArt and you shall find our little jinchuuriki with time-travellers! Thank you, Kuroyuki! :D**

**Now, without further ado, I present you Chapter 32! **

* * *

**Chapter 32: Need For Insight**

"Bee, do you know why he's screaming?"

The jinchuuriki scratched his head. "Otto-san says it's not normal. The chakra-suppressing seals work, so it can't be the Kyuubi's fault."

The boy's screaming turned into soft sobs. The Kumo-nin on the deck glanced at each other, frowning. Most of them had children back in the village and something stirred inside their chests.

But the Hatake was an enemy, a Konohan, and he was the only child of the infamous White Fang.

That name was enough for their anger to return.

But not for Killer Bee. The Hatake was still a jinchuuriki – Otto-san could grumble all he wanted, but he couldn't deny the pull of the Kyuubi (?) inside the boy and the…

Uh. What was his name again? What _was_ he?

**"****You forgot to ask. And he guessed 'half-demon', which…" **Otto-san (Gyuki?) muttered something to himself, then continued, **"…he's right about it. Kind of. He does have a large part of Kyuubi chakra, but a part is also Hatake's." **

_'__So… he's a half-bijuu, like he said?'_

Otto-san shrugged. **"Since I don't think there's any better definition, yes." **

_'__We should ask.' _Bee started walking towards the cell. This time not even Gyuki was opposed to it; the other shinobi let him pass without question, though maybe his brother A might have something to say about interrogating the Hatake. But alas, he was too busy on-deck.

They deactivated the seals on the door and stepped inside the room.

The little Hatake was curled up close to the half-demon's cage, barely emitting a sound now. His shoulders moved with each deep breath, no doubt trying to stop the sobbing – _shinobi don't sob nor cry_ – that not long ago was audible through the walls.

The half-demon eyed them suspiciously, his teeth bared. He knew he couldn't do anything, yet he was ready to fight his way out if the boy was harmed.

"I just have some questions," Killer Bee stated. The half-demon didn't relax, but his fangs were less bared. The muzzle didn't exactly allow communication or intimidation, but they had other ways to speak. The Kumo-nin touched a seal on the cage.

_'__What is your name?' _

"Nisemono." he almost spat.

**"****A fraud and a fake, indeed," **Gyuki muttered just as spiteful.

_'__Your _real_ name.'_

The half-demon stared at them, stubbornly silent.

"Okugi," the little Hatake murmured. "His name's Okugi."

Killer Bee turned his attention to the boy, who was trying to sit up – or, more likely, lean on the cage while trying to look at him in the eyes. The mask covering the lower half of his face was a little damp, but other than that there was no sign of his earlier crying. His onyx orbs had a wisp of red in their irises – for the Hachibi it was a clear sign of the other Kyuubi's presence.

**"****So you can hear us." **

Kurama (wasn't he sealed inside the Uzumaki?) smirked. They didn't know how he could project that image through his bound chakra. **"Indeed I can, brother." **

**"****You're no brother of mine, impostor," **the other bijuu ground out.

"I have déjà vu. Didn't someone else call you an impostor?" 'Okugi's voice was much chipper. Flippant, almost.

_'__Are you really doing what I think you're doing?' _

"Of course not." 

_'__I don't even know how I put up with you.'_

"Because you love me, Chibi!" Okugi made _kissing sounds_ of all things, and Gyuki recoiled in disgust. The Hatake's face expressed the same sentiment.

**"****That really wasn't necessary, ****_Okugi_****." **The not-Kyuubi conveyed annoyance – and was that… _amusement_?

**"****Enough!" **Gyuki roared and swiftly took control of Bee's body. He grasped the leather straps on the Hatake's chest, bringing him closer. **"Tell me who you really are, impostor!" **

The three Konohan – if that could be said of both Okugi and 'Kyuubi' – snarled at him.

_'__He's not an impostor!' _the little Hatake shouted.

"Don't you even dare!" Okugi growled, probably anticipating the Gyuki's chakra plunging through the bound chakra of the little boy.

**"****Come and see, brother!" **the not-Kyuubi taunted. He clearly predicted Gyuki's probing and let him in, instead of putting up his defenses like the Hachibi had expected.

Both he and Killer Bee felt off-balance when they were suddenly let inside the mind-scrape. They didn't have time to look around for information though, because the not-Kyuubi forced them in another section of the mind-scrape.

.

.

_Standing tall, together, proud. _

_The Allied Shinobi Army. _

_The Hokage, punching through waves of monsters. The Kazekage, burying the battling enemies in sand. The Mizukage, flooding patches of the battlefield in lava and mist. The Tsuchikage, literally disintegrating enemies with the Jinton. _

_The Raikage – _A-san_ – punching through the monsters with lightning speed._

_The Gokage. _

_The world. _

_Taking a stand against the apocalypse, the Tree, the goddess, Kaguya. _

_._

_._

Bijuu and jinchuuriki were pushed back an instant later.

The Hatake – Kakashi, right? – sagged against the cell bars once again. The half-bijuu poked the boy with his muzzle, worried.

"What was that?!" Killer Bee demanded.

The 'Kyuubi' remained stubbornly silent.

"Why don't you figure it out yourselves?" Okugi suggested, taunting. But there was a hint of confusion in his mind as well – that strange vision was clearly not supposed to happen for the strange half-demon.

The bigger jinchuuriki almost pushed for more information, but Gyuki led him out of the cell.

There was no sorting out this information with this strange creature talking in their heads.

* * *

There were mixed opinions in Konoha's ranks on Kakashi's kidnapping.

The majority of the jonin were worried they would lose an important asset. For all the White Fang was disgraced and spat upon, nobody could deny that the Hatake was one hell of a fighter. The slaughter of Shimo had tipped the scale in Konoha's favor, as did many other missions.

Except the last one. That was rather hard to forget in the middle of the very war it caused.

A small group of jonin – mostly Uchiha – were almost glad that the kid was gone. No Hatake they should be wary of, or keep an eye on. Sure, it meant one less ninja on Konoha's side, but who was to say that he wouldn't fail like his old man?

The other Clans – among which there were Akimichi, Nara, Yamanaka, even part of the Hyuuga – were in favor of getting the little Hatake back unscathed. He was still an important piece of the chessboard, one that should be brought back in the game, even in exchange of a pawn.

The chuunin were split almost evenly – they had heard of the failure of the White Fang, but Kami, Kakashi was just a _kid_. He was one of their own, regardless of past and relation to the disgraced legend. Most of the older chuunin considered the Hatake's rescue a side mission that could be overlooked, but they were game if it could be easily completed.

Which it wasn't, everyone knew that.

The genin, although their opinion wasn't held in high regard, sided firmly with the decision to get the young Hatake back, regardless of what some jonin-sensei said.

Secretly, the ANBU were of the same opinion as the genin. Parentage didn't define a shinobi's worth – and all the little Hatake did pointed to an unwavering loyalty and great power in his future. If he was allowed to grow and learn, of course.

Considering the Hokage's close connection to the Sannin, the Yellow Flash and the last Uzumaki, no one was really surprised when every Konohan team had the order to report any information on Kakashi Hatake if they caught wind of where he was held.

The Hokage leaned back in his seat, inspecting the map and the scrolls sprawled on his desk.

Jiraya and Kushina had pushed through Iwa's southern and eastern borders and were approaching Kusa no Kuni. The Suna troops held their grudges and played their cards close to their chests, but it was only to be expected. Fortunately, there were no problems other than the division of the territory taken from Iwa.

There _was_ a runner from Iwa that tried to get a message to Kumo, but one of the Suna-nin roasted both messenger and message with a Katon. The lost information worried the Hokage, but as long as the Raikage didn't get it, it could do no (direct) harm. It must have been a help request anyway.

The tracker team sent after Kakashi had yet to deliver a report, while Team Hound has already reported to Orochimaru. It was the Snake Sannin who wrote about their arrival and how the troops reacted to the reason of Team Hound's presence: surprised, but not (completely) unwilling to bring Kakashi back.

The Hokage leaned back in his chair. He could only hope that nothing (too) bad happened to the boy, but he had seen too much in his life.

Kakashi was a dangerous shinobi to oppose, there was no denying it. Those who underestimated him because of his age either died or changed their minds. The Kyuubi imitator had his back and had lent his chakra and loyalty (so far) to Kakashi, which in turn meant he supported Konoha. The Lightning Brothers – who else from Kumo was in the waters near Kiri, after all? – couldn't possibly miss that.

But Killer Bee knew how friendly bijuu operated with their jinchuuriki. That, at least, could be a point both in Kakashi's favor (if he was harmed too badly, the Kyuubi imitator would double his efforts in killing them) and not in his favor (the Kumo-nin knew what made him tick).

Almost five days had passed since he received the news of Kakashi's kidnapping.

He hoped Team Hound and Team 2 would bring him back, since he couldn't spare anymore troops for him. Danzo was already breathing down his neck for losing a jinchuuriki (he had quietly bristled at the way he referred to the young boy) and Homura and Koaru disapproved of his tactical decisions more than ever.

The Hokage sighed. He was getting too old to deal with this kind of stress.

* * *

Commander A found his brother-in-arms sitting on a barrel on deck.

He was awfully, impossibly still.

Ever since he had chosen Bee as his partner, the younger man had never liked staying still. He was always walking or jumping around, or swinging a leg when he had to sit on a chair, a branch, or a barrel. Because of the Hachibi's chakra and stamina, A had mused.

That was why Bee's stillness unsettled him more than the lack of obnoxious singing and humming.

"What's on your mind, brother?" he asked, standing to the man's left.

Bee's eyes weren't focused on the dark water below them or the silver glistening of the waves touched by the moonlight. He was most likely talking to the Hachibi about whatever they got out of the prisoner.

(Which was something Bee should have told him about beforehand, but if it meant he had information then A could _almost_ overlook it.)

"There's more to him than we thought," the younger man stated. His voice wasn't as loud as usual. "The white fox's name is Okugi, according to the Hatake." _A 'mystery', indeed. _"He's a half-demon. It seems the Kyuubi… impostor, Otto-san says… merged his chakra with the Hatake's. But if it were true, Okugi would've part of their personalities." Bee stopped. "Which doesn't make sense. He's too different."

A stared at him. The Hachibi knew the other bijuu better than any Kumo-nin, so all of what his brother said was supposed to be at least partially true. "It's possible to create half-demons?"

Bee had that unfocused look again. "Otto-san says it shouldn't be. To mix human and bijuu chakra they'd have to be forced together before."

"Using a seal?" This was getting weirder and weirder, even by shinobi standards.

Bee nodded. "But if only the Kyuubi impostor was sealed, the Hatake's chakra couldn't have mixed."

A pinched the bridge of his nose. They shouldn't have to worry about it if their prisoner couldn't escape. "Our mission is to return that brat to Kumo as soon as we get him, not figure out what the hell happened to him. He has a bijuu – I don't care if it's an impostor – and our village needs all the power we can get. The half-demon is just a bonus. Our only worry is to deliver both of them to the village without having them break the seals, alright?"

A strange – disapproving? – expression crossed Bee's face for a moment. Then he nodded. "Alright."

* * *

_The next day_

Kakashi was startled awake by the door slamming shut.

It was a jonin, this time one he didn't know. He had fair spiky hair, dark skin and a standard white Kumo-nin uniform. The man was lean and moved almost soundlessly, probably someone who preferred performing ninjutsu from the shadows and dash away when the enemy caught sight of him. He had the trigram of lightning – two split blue lines over a complete one – on his left bicep.

The man didn't say a word as he strode over his position.

He gripped Kakashi's leather straps – he had to get them changed – and took a kunai out of his weapon pouch, ignoring 'Okugi's growling.

Kakashi had been in many helpless situations, but he had never been so aware of his weakness.

The man started cutting the clothes over his chest, occasionally throwing away the weapons he found in secrets pockets. Not that Kakashi could have used them anyway, not when the ropes where still so tight around his wrists, fingers, knees and ankles.

He controlled the shiver that ran down his spine as his shirt, mask and leather straps were cut away, leaving him bare-chested and maskless. Even his hitai-ate was taken off.

The Kumo-nin didn't show any kind of emotion. He put away his kunai and took out three senbons.

Kakashi's muscles tensed further. Kurama's chakra washed over him, a comforting warmth in his mind, even after their argument about that memory of the future.

(Kurama was still unrepentant, Older Kakashi was still confused and Younger Kakashi was still frustrated.)

The man stabbed the senbons in three points right below his ribcage – the boy had to bite his lip to stop himself from crying out, they were probably chakra coils – and put his left hand on his stomach while the other formed a half Tiger Seal. "Reveal," he muttered and Kakashi felt a small wave of foreign chakra seeping in his body.

Then the modified nine-way seal appeared on his skin, as clear as day.

The Kumo-nin smirked at his success.

**"****Kuso...!" **Kurama muttered other curses to himself as he tried to (unsuccessfully) hide the seal from the man's prying eyes.

Killer Bee joined the other jonin in the room.

Older Kakashi growled louder, scraping his claws on the bottom of his cage. He made as much noise as he could in his position, but none of the Kumo-nin paid him any mind.

"I've never seen a seal like this," the jonin muttered. "Must be something new."

Kurama didn't stop to acknowledge the indirect compliment, but the jutsu in place stopped him from hiding the seal. It was a strange mix of Fuinjutsu and Genjutsu that his chakra couldn't dispel and it frustrated him to no end.

Killer Bee's hand touched lightly the lines stretching over Kakashi's abdomen. "It's unbalanced," he stated as he tried to force his probing chakra into the seal.

The six sequences of kanjis shone a dim white and locked around the three tail-like streaks, cutting off all chakra. Kakashi felt like there was a boulder squashing his bowels. He gritted his teeth at the pain.

The unknown jonin's eyebrows rose. "We didn't need those seals after all – this one locks away the bijuu's chakra once someone tries to breach it."

Kakashi dimly remembered what Kurama had said to Hokage-sama, all those days ago: **"The confining sequences would suppress my energy. They immediately lock up when foreign chakra tries to infiltrate the seal, isn't this neat?"**

It was fucking painful, that's what it was.

Killer Bee tried to force even more chakra into the locked seal and Kakashi whimpered.

He stopped immediately. The chuunin sighed quietly in relief when the confining sequences of the seal slowly loosened and unlocked Kurama's chakra.

Killer Bee's face was pulled into a deep frown, but his eyes were covered by those dark glasses of his so Kakashi didn't have a chance to know what he was thinking. "He's concerned," his older self guessed telepathically, but the boy wasn't so sure of that.

Before he could think some retort back, there were four knocks on the door.

Nobody spoke from outside the cell, but both men stood up and the unknown jonin plucked his senbons from Kakashi's already closing wounds. He took a cloth out of one of his pockets and gagged him, then hauled the boy over his shoulder, forcing a small sliver of chakra into the seal. Kakashi flinched at the pain.

Killer Bee opened the cage and slapped another seal on 'Okugi's head. He carried him over his shoulder.

The four shinobi stepped outside – both Kakashis had to squint at the glaring sunlight, it was about noon – and hopped on solid earth along with two teams of four Kumo-nin each and Commander A.

The huge would-be-Raikage looked at the prisoners before nodding and leading the group deeper into Kaminari no Kuni's territory.

Although knowing it was useless, Kakashi prayed.

It was the only thing he could do.

* * *

**Why does it feel like I keep doing cliffhangers...?**

**Well! Okugi means 'mystery', Nisemono means 'fraud' (ask both Google and japanesedictionary), Otto-san is confused, Killer Bee should drop the subject, Kurama wanted to make him leave but should have thought things through, both Kakashis are in trouble and don't know what to do, the Hokage is too old for this shit and A just wants to do his job. **

**Now that you're used to my... veeery slow... updates, I'll tell you that for the next two weeks I'll be away from home and I won't write, so you cna expect my next update to be either sometime late in August (buuut I still have holiday-work to do) or in September, at worst in October or some time later. **

**Thanks for bearing with me and this short transition Chapter and, as always:**

**Beware of the Kitsune's rage!**

**ShiiroiKitsune21**


	34. Chapter 33: Free Once More

**Hiiiii… I hope you didn't miss me too much! **

**The vacation went well, I am alive and kicking, this story is continuing and I FINALLY found a way to turn the tables and steer the story in its original direction. Never fear, for the Mighty Shiiroi Kitsune is here! ;)**

**As for the ever-growing crowd of fans… ERMAGARHD! 494 followers and 388 favorites?! 457 reviews?! The power of your support and love is too much! *faints* **

**I thank all of you, from the ones who follow from the shadows to the ones who found the time to drop their reviews by! Thank you! I hope you know how happy you all make me! :D**

**Also thank you to AngelicRiver, Guest, Angel Hatake, ChamaeleonEyes, NarutoxHonoka, MissSexyRain, Bindi-fox, cloystreng, Shad0ish, AoiKishi (tis the fight thou had waited for!) and Guest for reviewing the last Chapter! **

**NarutoxHonoka: oh, Kurama has a hasty plan ready! ;)**

**Bindi-fox: no scary sharingan for Okugi, I'm afraid! Minato will appear in the next Chapter… and probably stick to Kakashi like glue… eh. ':D**

**Shad0ish: Younger Kakashi is the proud father of his older self, since Kurama did the childbirth thing! :D (OK, that thought scarred me for life.) Both are going to have to deliver one hell of explanation though… ;)**

**(xXBlackDragonXx: I finally found a spot for Shikaku! Thanks for pointing it out!)**

**(RedDawn22: thank you! I got right the one detail I'm actually proud of! :D)**

**Now attention please! For the ****last**** part of this Chapter, 'Blah' is the Kyuubi or the Hachibi speaking in the mindscrape while "Blah" is normal, physical speech.**

**No particular warnings this time! Hurray! ;D**

**(I still don't own Naruto, Kakashi or Kurama. Dang it.) **

* * *

**Chapter 33: Free Once More**

**.**

**Alternative title #1: Hey Brother**

**Alternative title #2: Well That Escalated Quickly**

* * *

Orochimaru scowled at the map in front of him.

There were five known ports that Kumo could use for bringing Kakashi in their village: two in Yu no Kuni, and one near Shimo and two in Kaminari no Kuni. The first ones were unlikely to be chosen as destinations, since Konoha's second line was in that area. Shimo had been wiped of Kumo-nin a couple days ago, so no enemy would think of setting foot with an important prisoner there either.

That left two ports in Kaminari no Kuni, but even then the Lightning Brothers would do everything in their power to avoid starting rumors about their travel back to Kumo.

Which left Orochimaru and a handful of jonin to search for the most likely patch of forest they might find the little Hatake in, with very few clues about the location of their arrival.

"I'm sure they'll follow this path, Orochimaru-sama," one of the three jonin said, pointing one of the main routes to Kumo. "It's the shortest path to their village from the coast: there's no way they'd remain on the road for more time they need to. If we take this part of land we'll surely find them."

"I'm afraid you're wrong, Uchiha-san," a Hyuuga cut in, a smirk on her lips. The other man scowled. "They'll expect us to follow your plan, and those Kumo-nin will take a roundabout way to their village. A few days more in their territory are worth not fighting us. This is why I think they'll take this route deeper into their country before heading to Kumo." She traced a long itinerary through Kaminari with her finger.

The Nara in the tent stayed silent.

Orochimaru threw a glare at the two dojutsu users before turning to the other man. "Do you have a suggestion I should hear, Shikaku?" he asked. Never let it be said he couldn't work with a team.

He nodded. "Instead of taking wild guesses on which route they'd take, I think we should focus on these two villages-" the man pointed two dots on the map, "-in which the Kumo-nin that captured Kakashi are most likely to pass. He'll be guarded by at least two teams, and those shinobi will need plenty of food and water – hungered shinobi can't fight us as well as they're supposed to, so they'll need to stop. And at the speed they'll need to travel they can't carry enough supplies for three days."

The Snake Sannin kept examining the map, though he nodded slightly at Shikaku.

If, as they suspected, Kakashi was guarded by two or three teams and the Lightning Brothers, they couldn't take any roundabout way to their village. Not if they expected trouble along the way – which meant they were alert, not distracted by hunger or sleep deprivation. They came straight from a ship, which had already limited resources – and if they didn't drop anchor in a port, they couldn't leave the remaining sailors without supplies. Their provisions were severely limited.

But most important of all, they hadn't expected to capture Kakashi Hatake.

Shikaku's plan was, as always, the soundest.

Now it was only a matter of dividing the forces he could spare into two groups with equal chances of getting the Hatake back in one piece. It was one of the rare times that Orochimaru wished Tsunade or Jiraya were there: he knew he could trust them with an important battle such as this. Even Minato would have been a good choice, if he weren't so emotionally involved and was actually there.

"We'll infiltrate those two villages," the Snake Sannin ordered, ignoring the annoyance of both dojutsu users. "Team Hound, 4, 5 and 9 will occupy the northern village, Shunbun, with Hound as the leader. Team 1, 2, 6 and 8 will instead occupy the southern one, Doshaburi, with me as the leader. Shikaku, I expect you'll clear out as much territory near the villages as you can. You're in charge of the Second Division until I return."

Shikaku, only mildly surprised by his orders, nodded.

Orochimaru turned to one of the jonin outside the tent. He didn't remember nor care about his name. "Relay to Hoshi Hyuuga of the Third Division that Shikaku Nara is in charge of the Second Division until I return," he said. The jonin answered with a nod and started running towards the second line, still in Yu no Kuni.

It didn't take long to gather all the teams, explain their part in the plan and send them on their way.

* * *

Not even half a day into their forced travel to Kumo, Kurama began pacing restlessly.

_'__What do you mean you can't break the seal?' _Kakashi asked, a hint of hysteria colouring his mindscrape with a morbid array of reds.

**"****It was designed to lock down when foreign chakra got into the seal, Kakashi," **answered the bijuu. His real name on Kurama's tongue chilled him to his bones – no nicknames meant things were world-endingly bad. **"Madara-" **the boy shivered, **"-could control my brothers with his Genjutsu. To keep that from happening again, the Rokudaime Hokage and I put a fail-safe that not even I can break from inside." **

The last bit made Kakashi perk up. _'But it can be broken from the outside?'_

Kurama scowled. **"Only if no foreign chakra tries to get in the seal." **

Kakashi deflated. The Kumo-nin were too many to take on alone, the Lightning Brothers would be a challenge even if he could use Kurama's chakra (which he could not) and they couldn't communicate with his older self because they were too far.

Their ideas were running out… as was their time.

* * *

When the first day mark was passed, the same nervous blond chuunin they had meet offered both Kakashis half a ration bar each.

'Okugi' had sniffed them, bit the one offered to him and spat it back at the Kumo-nin.

Though the two (three) Konohan were too far from each other to speak telepathically, the older Hatake had the 'I'd-rather-put-on-a-green-jumpsuit' gleam in his red eyes. The younger refused to eat the brownish thing and trusted Kurama not to let him starve.

(When he had asked how his chakra could keep him from starving, the bijuu had just shrugged and told him he had had 'experience' when his previous host was left without food in his younger years.)

(Kakashi's blood boiled at that.)

* * *

It was when they stopped into a town – Doshaburi – that things changed for the worse again.

The young chuunin had been dumped into a large sack – containing the last supplies left, but no trace of his stolen weapons or any sharp items at all – and thrown over Killer Bee's shoulder. His chakra was particularly invasive and Kakashi curled up tightly at the pain.

He didn't know what they did with his older self, but he could only assume that he went ahead to either another town or directly to Kumo with one of the teams. The boy hoped neither had happened, but the logic part of his brain squashed the thought down – two shinobi teams in a civilian town attracted too much attention, it was only logical that they'd be separated sooner or later.

Kurama let him rest on his admittedly soft fur for once.

* * *

Orochimaru waited in the shadows, having already sent his four teams off.

The Lightning Brothers had stopped in Doshaburi with one team, though the other one had left for the north. When his summoned snake returned to him hissing that the departing Kumo-nin didn't have supplies, the Sannin smirked. The nearest town north of Doshaburi was Shunbun, where other four Konoha teams were waiting.

_'__What a lucky hunt,'_ he thought to himself, smirking.

His objective was the get Kakashi Hatake back to Konoha in one piece, no matter the cost. He was glad Sarutobi-sensei had specified: he wouldn't have to explain all the civilian lives lost, or get a scolding for his disregard for human lives.

The Sannin silently slithered to the only lit window of the inn, monitoring the six Kumo-nin inside and the sixteen Konohan under his command. They had the advantage of numbers, but the Lightning Brothers weren't shinobi to take lightly.

If Jiraya or Tsunade were there, Orochimaru's life would be much easier.

Two of the Konoha teams took position around the building while the other two stuck to the entry points – window, door and weaker walls – around the room in which Kakashi was held.

Orochimaru waited for the Kumo-nin's chakra to lull into a sleep rhythm and snuck into the room through a window, henged as a small snake.

From his position, he could clearly see on his right Killer Bee's left arm draped over Kakashi's bare shoulders. The Hatake was blindfolded, gagged and bound, but Orochimaru could see no chakra seals on his body. Strange.

To the boy's right sat another jonin, though the Raikage's son was sleeping on the other side of the room. Two shinobi were lying near the door in front of him, while the other two were the nearest to Orochimaru's spot under the window.

He wrapped his henged body around their throats one at a time and choked them in their sleep.

Killer Bee's fingers twitched and tightened around Kakashi's shoulders.

Orochimaru crept to the two shinobi near the door and bit them – the poison he had developed made shinobi pass out instantaneously as the toxins demolished the cells. Such a shame the ingredients for that grew mainly in the murky waters of Kiri.

The Snake Sannin silently made his way to the jonin near Kakashi.

The moment he bit the unnamed shinobi, Killer Bee woke up.

* * *

Killer Bee didn't hesitate to punch the weird white snake on his comrade's shoulder.

The snake hissed and tried to bite him, but Otto-san's bubbling chakra deterred it (him, if the amount of energy in his tiny body was to be believed) and _he_ retreated on the floor. With a cloud of smoke the Henge was dropped.

Orochimaru the Snake Sannin appeared in front of the Lightning Brothers.

As did eight other Konoha jonin an instant later.

Wonderful.

The Sannin didn't waste time in talking and trying to reach a non-violent deal – it was too late for that – and immediately summoned a writhing mass of hissing white snakes from his sleeves. The animals leapt at the Kumo-nin and A knocked them aside with his lightning-charged arms.

Two Konoha-nin built up their chakra and finished a series of hand-seals. "Katon: Great Fireball no jutsu!"

The room was instantly engulfed by flames.

Killer Bee hauled the little (unconscious) Hatake on his shoulders and, kicking one of the Konohan into the fire as she tried to attack him, jumped out of the collapsing building. His brother-in-arms flashed through three other enemies and came back with blood up to his elbows.

None of the blood was his.

The civilians' screams nearly drowned out the Sannin's hiss of, "Fuuton: Wind Dragon!"

The wind howled and roared as it soared straight to their position in mid-air.

A used Killer Bee to kick himself off the jutsu's path, knowing his brother would be alright. The latter released four of the eight tails and slammed into the cyclone-dragon.

The Hachibi's chakra was a very good shield.

"Suiton: Tidal Wave!" three voices chorused.

"Fuuton: Great Breakthrough!"

"Raiton: Lightning Strike!"

Uh, would you look at that combination. A massive wave rose from the two wells in the town and gained speed with the Fuuton jutsu, which somehow didn't affect the Raiton one mingled with the water. Impressive, but still not enough.

The Jinchuuriki wrapped a chakra tail around the Hatake and took out two of his swords, charging them with his lightning chakra.

He sliced his way right through the combined ninjutsu, trusting Otto-san's chakra to complete his defence.

When he touched the ground two Konohan threw a dozen kunai with explosive tags at him. Killer Bee knocked them aside with his swords and leapt at the nearest jonin.

He seemed to understand he couldn't do much by himself because, instead of parrying with his own katana, he jumped back on the nearest not-burning rooftop. The Jinchuuriki chased after the other jonin.

There were four Hyuuga currently going after him. He couldn't let them get near him, even though Otto-san could free any blocked tenketsu with his own. He spared a look to the sky, where his brother-in-arms was fighting the Snake Sannin at literal lightning speed.

"Vacuum Palm!"

He dashed to his left to avoid the strong gust of chakra-infused wind and directed his attention to the nearest Hyuuga, a young woman. As he twirled and pressed his size, reach and speed advantage he took his other six swords from his back before drop-kicking the woman on the head.

She wouldn't get up any time soon, if at all.

"Eight Trigrams: Sixty-four Palms!"

Ah, there it was.

The Juken was a feared and revered taijutsu style for a reason, yes, but Killer Bee was not without his own surprises. There was nobody who could copy his kenjutsu style and facing him only with fists was a laughable idea at best.

That was probably why he heard the distinctive buzzing of kikaichu all around him.

A huge cloud of them flew at him from behind, sucking energy off his chakra coat and tails.

It was highly annoying.

Killer Bee dashed between the remaining Konohan, jumping and twisting and thrusting as his opponents' blood stained his blades and the ground a dark shade of scarlet.

The Aburame insects were becoming rather irritating however, since they left the corpses of their owners to join the vengeful swarm of those still alive. The chakra leeching wasn't even that much of a problem - but the kikaichu blocking his sight and chakra-sensing were unacceptable.

The Jinchuuriki swung his now six tails back and forth, making his way to the treetops and his brother.

"Summoning jutsu!"

Two twin black snakes took Orochimaru's side, bigger and taller than even the Lightning Brothers. The Snake Sannin didn't let them admire his summoned creatures for long and, on an unspoken command, the huge animals threw themselves at them.

Both Kumo-nin charged ahead, both wrapped in their chakra.

The snakes were fast and nimble, but not enough to avoid all of the Lightning Brothers' hits. Orochimaru's constant presence and attacks didn't exactly help the Kumo-nin, either – especially since his jutsus were focused on shutting down Killer Bee's chakra.

The Hatake's body was still hanging limply in one of his tails.

A drop-kicked one of the snakes, but it wrapped its battered body around the man's ankle and bit down. The Kumo-nin shouted out of surprise – and pain – and flashed away from Orochimaru's Fuuton jutsu to grab the summon and snap its neck. The snake disappeared in a puff of smoke before it could die.

Killer Bee almost cut the other creature to ribbons before it vanished as well. He spared a glance in his brother's direction on probed lightly his chakra.

The black snake had bitten A's left knee, leaving two gushing fang marks on the outer side. He was favouring ever so slightly the right leg, but forced his weight on the injured one to remain balanced on his feet. He didn't seem affected by any poison, but with the Snake Sannin it was difficult to tell.

His brother's chakra was depleting quickly – with good reason too – leaving about a third of the energy Killer Bee knew he should have. The two months fighting on the ship left him with little to no rest and the fight started to turn in the Sannin's favour.

Orochimaru smirked.

* * *

When Kakashi woke up, he was surprised he wasn't hauled over someone's shoulder.

He was wrapped in a chakra tail instead.

Oh joy.

A moment later he perked up. If he was in a chakra tail, it meant someone was finally going to bring him out of this mess! His hopes bounced all over his mindscrape, freed by the logical conclusion. Kurama snorted, although Kakashi could feel his relief.

**"****Whoever it is, they're still fighting, Kit," **he mumbled, **"but as soon as the seal unlocks, we're free." **

Kakashi clamped down his impatience and nodded, settling between Kurama's paws to wait. They could see only blurred shapes through the blindfold, but it was enough to guess there weren't many Konoha-nin fighting against the Lightning Brothers.

Gyuki's chakra was messing up with their sensing ability – already hampered by the locked seal – so they couldn't tell how many were fighting. They could hear A shouting and destroying everything in his path, along with his chakra flickering around his body. They could hear the sound of swords clashing, something hissing, Fuuton, Raiton and Katon jutsu ripping bark off the trees and scorching the earth.

They could smell blood… and snakes.

_'__Orochimaru…'_

Kurama nodded grimly. **"I hope he won't get ideas until we're back to Konoha," **he said as if he took for granted that the Snake Sannin would win the battle. Or maybe he didn't want to consider the alternative of remaining in Kumo's hands.

Not that being in Orochimaru's was any better, if the merged memories Kakashi got from his older self were anything to go by.

He shivered. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

* * *

Orochimaru's eyes couldn't miss the way Kakashi stirred slightly.

The boy was awake and, with good probability, he wasn't drugged and would escape when freed from the Jinchuuriki's grip. Which was easier said than done, even if the Raikage's son was injured – such a shame his snake Sekitan wasn't a poisonous one.

The Sannin narrowly dodged the double lariat of the Lightning Brothers with a Kawarimi – that would've beheaded him for sure, no matter his flexibility. He jumped high in the air, tracking A's chakra above him as the Kumo-nin prepared to slam him into the ground.

Orochimaru flashed through the hand seals- _Rat, Rabbit, Dog – _"Fuuton: Vacuum Sphere!"

The ninjutsu hit the Raikage's son straight in the chest – he had no time to dodge because of the speed they were falling at, Orochimaru knew – but only a grunt showed his pain at that. But it was enough to pierce his Raiton armour, which was good enough.

The Konohan locked his fingers into the Bird hand-seal. "Fuuton: Air Bullets!"

Two dozen of chakra-infused wind bullets hit the area breached by the previous jutsu, while a dozen more slammed into the injury on the Kumo-nin's left knee.

He howled in pain and rage as his massive body crashed into Orochimaru's slender one.

The Sannin used Kawarimi to avoid the worst of the impact. The moment he landed on the top of a tree he grimaced – a rib or two were surely cracked, if not almost broken. Still, it was worth the damage he had inflicted the Raikage's son.

The man was crouching on the ground below, glaring in the general direction of Orochimaru. He seemed to cradle briefly his sternum and upper left ribs, then he swayed on his feet as he rose up to his usual height. The Snake Sannin noticed with satisfaction that now almost all of the weight was on A's right leg, as opposed to before.

The Jinchuuriki charged at him with his eight swords.

Would you look at that kenjutsu style, uh – unpredictable, no doubt difficult, relying on both flexibility and force, not to mention creativity and chakra tails. Orochimaru had to Kawarimi his way out more than once and create two Shadow Clones to keep up with the angry Jinchuuriki without (serious) harm to himself.

Very interesting.

Killer Bee stuck very close to his brother's side, no doubt worried about his injuries. They both pressed their size and taijutsu advantage over him, trying to bring the fight into their field.

One of his Shadow Clones dispelled and Orochimaru used the smoke to mask his hand seals.

"Summoning jutsu!" he hissed once more.

This time it wasn't just two snakes that appeared – oh no. It was a writhing mass, nearly six hundred of them, his Ireko. He knew a bigger snake than Sekitan and his twin would be too slow for the Lightning Brothers – so why not summon hundreds of them? It also helped that they were hungry for chakra.

That was the most likely motive that led Killer Bee to turn into full bijuu mode.

Both Orochimaru and A were thrown away by the sudden air displacement and landed painfully on their injuries.

His Ireko had huddled protectively around their summoner to keep his now-definitely-broken ribs inside his body and looked almost questioningly at him for further instructions.

He didn't expect the Hachibi to take over in A's presence, he had to admit. Its size could have easily crushed the Jinchuuriki's brother, and Orochimaru had expected to fight both of them in human form as long as he remained near enough. What a fool.

He scowled at his own (almost fatal) mistake before preparing to summon Manda, the biggest snake he could call that could probably take on the Jinchuuriki. His Ireko would have to deal with A.

His chakra levels were dwindling quickly due to his necessary but constant use of ninjutsu. Taijutsu was out of question and, while genjutsu might work, it wouldn't distract both of the Lightning Brothers for long. Not enough to lose them in their own territory.

One of the Konoha teams finally braved the battlefield to join him. The other three squads were most likely dead.

He didn't recognize their names, but he felt the natures of their chakra: one was Wind, two were Fire and the last one was Earth. They were bruised and cut and looked as if they regained consciousness recently, but they were on their feet and were clearly able to fight.

However, they were scared shitless by the massive size of the bijuu. And could their jutsu and weapons distract the Hachibi long enough for Orochimaru and Manda to grab the little Hatake – hidden somewhere on the bijuu, most likely – and bring him back to the Second Division? All the while avoiding A's lightning fast taijutsu?

He didn't think so.

But it was worth a try – if anything, Orochimaru will have a slim window to complete the mission.

So it was with mild shock that they watched the little Hatake already running for his life, free of his bindings and jumping between the swinging tails of the Hachibi.

* * *

_'__This was your _plan_?!'_

Kurama snorted. **'The bursting free part, yes. The being almost squashed by Gyuki? Not at all – keep running!' **

Kakashi had already noticed that tail-tentacle and dived under it as it swung his way. A wasn't that far behind him, boosted by his chakra but hindered by his injuries. The chuunin's joints and muscles had been forced into stillness for too long to bear this kind of stress though, so every excessive movement had to be eased by Kurama's chakra.

The phantom pain of the once-locked seal was also kind of distracting, yes.

A massive hand almost grabbed him, but instead he allowed the displaced air to propel him away from the bijuu. Kakashi landed on another tail, which tried to lock his seal once more. He kicked himself off the limb at the same moment and kept falling closer and closer to the ground.

A-san took that moment to body-slam into him.

Kurama had barely enough time to form a consistent Bijuu Cloak around the boy before they were both propelled straight into Gyuki's waiting hand. The Hachibi tried immediately to force chakra into his seal, which the other bijuu rejected with a burst of his own energy.

Kakashi gasped at the Hachibi's crushing force and tried to free himself with five chakra claws.

_Orochimaru, four unknown signatures, A, Killer Bee and Gyuki. _

The Kyuubi boosted the claws and they flashed away from the bijuu's hand. At this rate, Kurama would have to go full bijuu mode – there was no way they could escape for long otherwise. But there was the problem of the unwanted attention they'd get from the Konoha-nin… not to mention Orochimaru…

_'__Don't you have seals, anything to stop him?!' _the young Hatake almost shouted at him.

The kid had a point. Fuinjutsu would look less suspicious than a rampaging bijuu, too.

**'****I know what to do. Give me your body.'**

Though the wording could've been better, Kakashi understood and quickly retreated in a corner of his mind. Kurama flashed away in time to avoid another tail to the face. He bit the chuunin's right index enough to draw blood.

His (Kakashi's) hands blurred through a long string of hand seals, broken not even in mid-air and upside down. Luckily, Orochimaru was too busy fighting A to hear the name of the jutsu.

**"****Fuinjutsu: Bloody Phoenix Lock!" **

Kurama couldn't exactly pin his brother down with the Ten Gates of the Shodaime, could he? That would have been just begging to be discovered and dissected by the Snake Sannin. Besides, history still needed Killer Bee and the future Raikage alive.

He slammed his blood-stained hands on the nearest tail-tentacle, which fell heavily to the ground as the red bird-like seal pulsed to life. Kurama jumped to avoid another tail and sealed that one too with the same Fuinjutsu. Two tails down.

Two Konoha shinobi weren't so lucky as to dodge the massive limb and ended up crushed under its weight. Kakashi winced – hopefully, they died quickly.

The boy felt his own chakra pulled by the demon fox and focused on his right hand. It felt suspiciously like the Rasengan he had failed to learn, but its sound was more alike to the chirping of a thousand birds. **"Chidori Nagashi!" **

To his astonishment, Kurama extended his Raiton chakra like a blade – he needed to get his tanto back, now that he thought about it – and cleanly cut an incoming tail in two. His internal gaping was completely justified.

_He could_ _do_ that _with his own chakra?_

**"****Gyuki!" **Kurama shouted as he jumped high enough to look into the Hachibi's eyes. **"Do you truly think the Sage wanted us to fight like this?! You've seen what I showed you about the future-"**

**"****Silence, impostor!" **Gyuki roared back. The forced stillness of two of his tails and the partial cutting of a third didn't exactly put him in a patient mood. **"That was nothing but your attempt at deception, to make me think you had really risked the destruction of Time with the Sage's seal!" **

Kurama stretched his most sincere look on Kakashi's face. **"Who says I didn't?"**

The Gyuki roared and the air around him became heavy with chakra.

"BEE!" A shouted. Even Orochimaru whipped his head around, limbs tense and ready to fight or flee at a moment's notice. Was that kid really _provoking a bijuu?!_

Kurama knew there was no time to put a seal on his brother and jumped at him.

The moment he touched Gyuki's head, he forced part of his memories on the other bijuu, desperately willing him to _understand _before it was too late.

.

.

_Nearly a decade after the Fourth Shinobi War, Kirigakure had fallen._

_Not a warning had prepared the world for this: Kaguya, the few survivors had later reported, had appeared out of thin air and started razing their village to the ground. The Mizukage died together with her loyal guards after ordering a small group of Kiri-nin to warn the other villages. _

_Four days later, Sunagakure was but a scorched hole in the desert. The Godaime Kazekage had given up his life to save the majority of the shinobi and his brothers. _

_Another week later, Iwagakure was devoid of life. A Godaime Tsuchikage had to be named in Konoha, where most of the shinobi had gathered. _

_Kumogakure was a crumbling pile of rocks by the end of the next week._

_Eight Jinchuuriki and their bijuu – the Ichibi had 'died' side by side with the Kazekage – had stood up to the vengeful goddess when Kaguya's shadow loomed over Konoha's gates._

_._

_._

Gyuki stopped his bijuu dama.

Even Orochimaru and the future Raikage stopped to watch the Hachibi, suddenly still and looking thoughtfully at something on his 'face'. There was no one else who could see them.

The grief and fear of those memories was too much and too fresh to be faked. It couldn't be a genjutsu, either – nobody with that much chakra could have created this many details. Everything pointed to it being a true memory.

Something that would – _will _– happen if history was left on its course.

Was it possible? The Sage of the Six Paths, Hagoromo… he had left part of his knowledge in the bijuu's figurative hands, including a half-finished seal that Kurama had taken particular interest in before they went each their own way.

The Jikan no Fujin…

It made a disturbing amount of sense. His nine-tailed brother had had lots of time to ponder on that Fuinjutsu, refining it as history passed before his eyes.

But to actually use it…

_'__Yo, Otto-san! What the hell was that vision?' _Killer Bee shouted from his side.

Gyuki shook his massive head. It would have been much easier if Kurama had been just an impostor… but now? They were brothers. On opposite sides of the border, yes, but each side had granted them a relative freedom and protection in exchange of cooperation. Konoha was Kurama's domain, Kumo was Gyuki's and Matatabi's.

(Although her Jinchuuriki was still too inexperienced to fight by Kumo's side, Kaminari no Kuni was as much the Hachibi's land as it was hers.)

_"__But there will come a time one shall appear to show you what true power is, reuniting you, but not as you once were…" _Hagoromo's voice rang in his head. Was that it?

_'__Otto-san!' _

The fight. Right.

**'****You owe me one, brother,' **he grumbled telepathically.

Kurama simply smirked. **'I look forward to it.'**

* * *

After a few seconds of stillness, the Hachibi roared once more.

All of his tails - even the ones that had crashed limply onto the ground – swung wildly in every direction, rising an ominous cloud of dust, uprooting and destroying trees.

Orochimaru gritted his teeth – he needed to summon Manda as soon as possible, but the Raikage's son was a rather annoying opponent. Months on the battlefield had done both of them no good: tired and injured, they were far from their usual prowess. Through the massive chakra coating the forest, the Snake Sannin could barely feel the little Hatake fleeing west.

The Hatake. Fleeing west. While the Hachibi destroyed the forest.

Hmm.

Time for a tactical retreat: his mission was completed, but killing the Lightning Brothers would have to wait another day.

Orochimaru left his Ireko and a Water Clone in his place and ran to catch up to the young chuunin, a thousand questions swirling in his mind.

* * *

**Orochimaru kicks ass! A and Killer Bee and Gyuki kick ass! Random people die! Yay! Kakashi and Kurama are free! But without Okugi… for now. Maybe. Uh. **

**Planning! Fights! Fuinjutsu! Ninjutsu! Bijuu! Brotherly Bonds! A FIGHT Chapter! :D**

**Explanations for: "Orochimaru would've totally kicked A's ass." **

**Maybe with all his Kinjutsu and gross body transformations and whatnot. But right now Orochimaru is a jonin, the Snake Sannin with the Snake Summoning Contract and extensive Ninjutsu knowledge, without gross modifications or Kinjutsu. This balance I wrote also occurred 'cause my brother pointed out that the Lightning Bros were two AND Bee was a Jinchuuriki. **

**"****The Lightning Bros would've totally kicked Orochimaru's ass."**

**A and Bee now don't have the same experience as their future selves, so I put their power above jonin but not above Sannin. Sure, Gyuki is a bijuu and would've flattened the field with the Bijuu dama, but A was also there. Injured. And they were in Kumo territory. The poor village was a casualty, and Killer Bee didn't want more.**

**"****Gyuki, WTF did you just do?" **

**He gave his future brother another chance to change the future because of past bonds and grief and memories of the bleak future. The Timeline is not amused. ;P**

**End Explanations: Dictionary time!**

**Yu no Kuni is the Hot Water Country. **

**Sekitan means coal. Ireko means nest, or nesting. Doshaburi means downpour, while Shunbun means something like equinox. **

**Curiosity Time! :D**

**Two weeks ago I had written this barely thought-out scheme for the fight, which I didn't end up following: **There's clashing - Much fight - So bloody - Kablamo Kurama roar - 'Why is this my life' Kakashi. **Originally, Orochimaru set the village on fire to drive out the Kumo-nin. At some point after Killer Bee went full bijuu, Kurama did too and the Konoha-nin discovered Kakashi was a Jinchuuriki. Then I thought 'WTF? Orochimaru's subtle as a snake' and 'Kurama has SEALS! And Feelings!' so I changed everything :P**

**(By the way, I laughed way too hard at my Alternate Titles XD I hope you did too!)**

**End of Curiosity Time! Tell me what you think of it, tell me if this counts as yet another cliff-hanger, tell me how to improve the battle scenes 'cause I suck at them! :D**

**Beware of the Kitsune's rage!**

**Shiiroi Kitsune21**


	35. Chapter 34: A Boy's Return,A Team United

**And the prodigal daughter returns to writing sooner than possible! :D **

**I just felt the need to keep my momentum, you know? Get the ball rolling and all that jazz… I also couldn't help writing something… ****_fluffy_****… kinda. At the end. After all the reuniting. 'Cause both Kakashi deserve to be together, uh. ;P**

**Thank you to cloystreng, AngelicRiver, like-a-freaking-fangirl, time2read, Unterflieger, Prescripto13 (such long time we haven't crossed paths!), NarutoXHonoka, Bindi-fox, anaisonfire, taran taran and Guest for their quick reviewing! Shower of digital hearts for y'all!**

***Digital Hearts, Yay!***

**Unterflieger: he's here, don't worry! ;)**

**Prescripto13: Hagoromo should've never been this vague… But he was, so Kurama plays on that, their Brotherly Bond and the Power of Emotions to get an 'ally' out of their unfortunate situation XD**

**Bindi-fox and anaisonfire: you'll find I'm not nearly as evil or hungry for that kind of Okugi angst :D **

**And so, without further ado, I present you the next Chapter you were waiting for!**

* * *

**Chapter 34: A Boy's Return, A Team United**

Orochimaru caught up to Kakashi in a few leaps.

The boy threw him a sideways glance, a nod and a murmured "Orochimaru-sama," before slowing down. He wanted the Sannin to lead the way to the rendezvous point with Team Hound, apparently.

That would have to wait, however – he had a few questions he needed answered first.

They stopped near the entrance of a cave, far enough from the battlefield that they couldn't see the Hachibi anymore. Thick black smoke rose from the east, splitting the otherwise clear sky just as the sun's rays started brightening the forest around them.

Orochimaru eyed the bare-chested chuunin sitting to his left. His arms and torso were a shade redder than normal, probably because of the cold morning air. But there weren't any angry red stripes that came with rope scraping against skin and flesh, and the Sannin had seen how tight Kakashi had been tied.

The chuunin squirmed almost imperceptibly under his scrutiny.

"You don't appear to have been injured," the man stated. The young Hatake looked at him almost blankly.

"I haven't, Orochimaru-sama."

The Sannin handed one of his spare shirts – he had taken two scrolls of supplies with him, he wasn't stupid – to Kakashi, who looked rather uncomfortable and cold at being half-naked. He put on the offered clothing with a mumbled "Thank you, Orochimaru-sama."

A beat of silence.

"Report to me what has happened from the moment you were separated from your team," ordered the Sannin.

Kakashi nodded minutely. "I woke up on a nukenin ship when they had already set sail to an unknown destination. I'm not aware of how much time had passed from the moment I was captured to the one I woke up. It was four days later that a Kumo ship attacked the one I was held in – that ship had been blown up. I later regained consciousness on the Kumo ship."

Orochimaru found hard to believe that Kakashi had survived a blown up ship without a scratch, but most of the information was true so he waited for the chuunin to finish before drawing conclusions.

"Killer Bee interrogated me about Minato-sensei's weaknesses," the boy continued, "but I told him nothing. I remember being taken from the ship and travelling north. Someone knocked me out at some point of the journey and I regained consciousness during the fight. I then fled."

The Sannin nodded. It made sense, except the last part. Now it was time to ask questions.

"How did Killer Bee torture you?"

Kakashi's eyes almost widened. Hmm.

"You clearly have no physical injuries," Orochimaru stated slowly, as if he were talking to a dumb child. Maybe the little Hatake's mind had shut down at some kind of horrendous torture, or maybe he didn't expect the report to get this deep. "and in the timeframe you've been held captive no physical wounds would have healed this completely. Tell me how Killer Bee tortured you."

The boy squirmed. "He reached my chakra core with his own chakra," he whispered, his shoulders tense. "I don't remember anything else. Just that it hurt."

Orochimaru leaned back on the rock behind him, absently sending more healing energy to his slowly-mending ribs. Hmm. An unusual method that required raw force from the chakra itself – not just the quantity, but the quality. Only a few shinobi throughout the nations used it, mainly Jinchuuriki and Kekkei Genkai users who didn't want to get their hands stained with blood.

Or shinobi who needed their prisoner's physical condition to appear normal, while they wreaked havoc on their chakra system and often crippled them permanently. It depended on the difference in power between the two chakras.

Kakashi had white chakra, powerful in its own right – but it couldn't be enough. Only an Uzumaki's or bijuu's chakra could withstand an onslaught of the Hachibi's own with minimum consequences. An experienced shinobi could probably put up a defense to limit the damage, but the last Hatake had had no training whatsoever in doing so.

Especially not against an aggressive attack to the chakra core.

But it wouldn't do to startle him.

"Kakashi," the boy seemed alarmed by the sudden address, "I'm going to check the damage it did on your chakra system. I'll need to push my chakra into your coils."

The chuunin was definitely alarmed now. "I could mold my chakra just fine during the battle, Orochimaru-sama – it isn't necessary to-"

"I'll decide what is necessary and what isn't," the Sannin hissed, narrowing his eyes. "Are you questioning _my_ ability to determine _your_ health?"

Kakashi deflated slightly. "No, Orochimaru-sama."

"Then take a deep breath and close your eyes," he ordered. The boy complied and the jonin put his left hand on the chuunin's sternum. He released a small sliver of chakra into the latter's system, ignoring his tensing muscles.

At first he just poked the coils. Resilient, much more than he had expected. He had felt coils this tough only in veteran jonin who threw heavy ninjutsu around like they were candies. Interesting – what had provoked such a change in a young chuunin like Kakashi?

Then Orochimaru followed the flow, searching for damage he had previously seen in tortured shinobi.

There was a slight hitch only where the coils joined the core in the abdomen. But it was different from a damaged core, something that had caused shinobi to retire prematurely. It was just the flow that felt changed, almost redirected.

Orochimaru frowned. "Kakashi, don't mold your chakra."

The boy frowned as well, though he kept his eyes closed. "I'm not molding it, Orochimaru-sama."

The Sannin closed his eyes again and poked at the strange hitch in the chakra flow. Kakashi tensed further.

It felt like a barrier. He tried once, twice – it was definitely a barrier in Kakashi's chakra system. A Fuinjutsu, then. It seemed those Kumo-nin had a reason not to put obvious chakra-suppressing seals on their prisoner, after all.

"Kakashi, do you remember anyone placing a seal on you?"

The boy's bare face was paler than a paper sheet. He gulped. "No, Orochimaru-sama."

"Have you noticed anything different when you molded your chakra during the fight?"

The chuunin hesitated. "Most of my reserves were – and still are – locked, Orochimaru-sama. I don't know anything else."

The Snake Sannin narrowed his amber eyes. It did explain what he felt, but not the purpose. Why lock some of his reserves if they could lock all of them? It didn't make sense if the Kumo-nin wanted to keep him their prisoner.

Maybe they wanted to steal his white chakra to study it? Unlikely: they'd have easily done it once they were back in Kumogakure. It was also as unlikely that they wanted to taunt him, daring him to use his chakra to escape when he so clearly couldn't.

Or maybe the jonin who made the seal was an incompetent idiot. Also unlikely, given the Lightning Brothers' presence.

"Take off your shirt."

Kakashi's chakra briefly focused on his feet, as if ready to bolt away. "…May I ask why, Orochimaru-sama?"

"I need to see the seal. If that's what I think it is, I can unlock it," he answered easily. What he didn't say was that he'd need his sealing kit to unlock anything more complex than a Pentagonal Restraining Seal or too unorthodox.

The boy was in the mood to squirm like an embarrassed schoolgirl once more. He still took off the borrowed shirt before Orochimaru could snap at him to obey.

"Now mold your chakra."

Kakashi shot him an almost pleading look – what for? – and started doing as told.

The Snake Sannin narrowed his eyes as the seal on the chuunin's abdomen became clearer. It started as an Uzumaki spiral – that was already a bad sign by itself – that twisted into three separate swirls, almost tail-like.

Then six other strings of kanjis surrounded the spiral – but with his limited Fuinjutsu knowledge he could recognize no more than the kanji for 'stabilize' and 'restrain'. Maybe there was some other feature hidden in the chakra core-

Kakashi almost doubled over. Orochimaru put a hand on his right shoulder and steadied him instinctively, as he so often had to do with Anko after their heavier training sessions.

The Sannin's chakra had caused the seal to lock. Painfully, if the boy's pinched expression was any indicator. A seal that could stop a chuunin in his tracks with just the barest probing of chakra directed to his core. Intriguing, but unnecessarily complex.

The Uzumaki swirl in its center was also too similar to the Containment Seals used to seal away bijuu, something that...

…That couldn't possibly be what he was thinking, could it?

"Kakashi," began Orochimaru, unapologetic of the pain he had inadvertently caused, "have you heard voices in your head after you were captured?"

The chuunin's chakra spiked in fear.

"Before you speak, I'll remind you that lying on a mission report _and_ to your superiors is punishable by flogging at best." Orochimaru had taken mental note of what parts weren't truthful, planning on getting to the bottom of this sudden insubordination from the once textbook-perfect shinobi.

Kakashi blanched. He clearly knew of the punishment, yet he still tried to lie. Why?

"…I have, Orochimaru-sama." Finally some truth.

"Did they demand anything?"

"No, Orochimaru-sama." It felt true, as well. Hmm.

"Have you noticed anything different in your chakra flow during your captivity?"

"…No, Orochimaru-sama."

The Sannin's frown deepened. It was the truth, so this change must have been less recent. Meaning the seal wasn't Kumo's doing after all, and that Kakashi had hidden it for weeks, if not more. Unacceptable.

There was nobody who could stop Orochimaru from getting everything out of the young Hatake – the Lightning Brothers were busy either reporting back to the Raikage or licking their wounds to try to take their prisoner back, Team Hound would rendezvous at a nearby waterfall in a three hours and the Konohan Second Division was too far to stumble across them.

Orochimaru planned to write a thorough report on Kakashi's insubordination and complex seal.

* * *

_Four days later_

Minato had rarely run so fast to the Hokage's office. Only the day Kakashi had become a Jinchuuriki his speed had been this great.

"Hokage-sama I came as soon as I've heard about Kakashi, where is he?" he blurted out the second he stepped – ran – inside the room.

Hiruzen didn't crack an amused smile at his mother-hen antics. "He's down the ANBU Headquarters, T&amp;I section."

Minato's jaw took a few seconds to rehang itself. "_T&amp;I?!_" the blonde nearly shrieked.

The Hokage nodded. "This morning, Team Hound returned to Konoha with Orochimaru's explicit order to lock Kakashi-kun in a chakra-reinforced containment cell to have his memories searched." The blonde jonin was barely keeping himself from interrupting the elder man. "I have, of course, already seen to it. Orochimaru will leave the eastern border to Shikaku-san and come here to be updated on the Kyuubi imitator – this is a matter best not put on paper."

Minato waited half a beat to see if the Hokage had finished speaking. "But where is Kakashi-kun? Is he injured? Is he alright? Who knows about his return to Konoha?"

The older shinobi held his right hand up. The jonin fell silent. "Only Team Hound, an ANBU medical team, the Elder Council, myself and you know about Kakashi's return. He has no physical injuries, although Kakashi himself reported to Orochimaru that Killer Bee invaded his chakra core as torture."

Minato's emotions swayed between chilling terror and boiling rage. Only his eyes betrayed the latter.

"He appears to be fine though and Crane of the medical team and Cat found no damages to his chakra system. However…" here the Hokage paused long enough for Minato's mind to think of the worst, "Kakashi wasn't the only one brought back to Konoha."

The jonin almost spoke up again when the older man continued.

"A half-demon made entirely of Kurama and Kakashi's chakra had been also found by Team Hound in Kumo's hands."

Minato's brief gaping was completely justified.

"He – not an 'it', as Hound reported – showed no ill intentions towards Konoha-nin, instead helping them find Kakashi-kun. Both of them insisted to stay together – which is why they are kept in a T&amp;I cell as we speak." The Sandaime concluded his speech, letting it sink in.

Minato decided not to try to understand how a half-demon with his student's chakra came to life. Maybe later, after he had seen _his_ _Kakashi_ alive and kicking. The actual chance to _see _his student and _talk_ to him overrode any other thought in his brain.

"May I see him _now_?" he sounded both impatient and grateful.

The Sandaime smiled at him and nodded.

Minato had never left the Hokage's office so fast.

* * *

Kakashi finally, _finally_ had his older self back.

"So the cat's out of the bag now?" he asked worriedly, his tails swinging back and forth.

Kakashi nodded and kept stroking 'Okugi's fur. He made an excellent pillow, he had to admit.

_'__Orochimaru would've known sooner or later. It could've been worse than an interrogation though…' _the Sannin could have assumed Kakashi was an impostor, or reacted badly to Kurama's chakra. Maybe he'd have found a way to flog him for 'insubordination' or worse, experimenting on him before Team Hound arrived.

Either way, Kurama nor Kakashi hadn't wanted to risk it. Not with Orochimaru.

The once-jonin grimaced and nudged his younger self with his head. The young chuunin scratched Okugi behind his ears, prompting a satisfied _purr_.

Kakashi snorted and Kurama laughed uproariously as Okugi's ears lowered in embarrassment. Kami, that was weird. "You heard _nothing_!" the half-demon hissed. Had he been in his original body, his whole face would be red.

Kurama kept laughing. Okugi glared at him through his younger self's body. "It's similar to _your_ body, you'd make that sound too!" he snapped back.

**"****As if!" **the bijuu snorted. Then he seemed to think of something else, making him smirk wider. **"You get to know ****_your_**** body, you get to know ****_your_**** quirks – no help from me here!" **

(After all that happened, they all needed a good laugh and a brief respite.)

"Are you implying you too had to go through this phase?" it was the time-traveller's turn to grin at Kurama's indignation. "You did! Did the Shodaime scratch behind your ears? Or maybe-"

Minato knocked on the door before swinging it open. "'Kashi-kun!"

The boy had no chance to escape his sensei's fierce hug – not that he would have. Part of the tension still lingering in his muscles bled away in Minato's embrace. "Sensei…"

The blonde pulled away, though he still kept his right hand on his shoulder. He had a bright grin on his lips, but his blue eyes were moist. "Are you alright? Are you _going_ to be alright? What happened? Did you get injured, then you healed?" he assaulted him with questions, though he was clearly restraining himself to some degree.

"I'm fine, Minato-sensei," he answered, then inwardly cringed. That was his usual response even when he was the opposite of fine. "I didn't get injured – they knew better than hurt another Jinchuuriki-" the look on Minato's face was pure grief, he had to change his approach, "-so Killer Bee didn't torture me, but Okugi."

"…Okugi is, uhm…"

Kakashi didn't know what to call his older self, either. He patted him on his furry head. "Him."

Minato watched intently the half-demon. He looked like a miniature white Kyuubi with only three tails and red tips on ears, tails and paws. He had a thin line running over his left eye, almost a scar. Do demons scar? Was it because of Killer Bee and the Hachibi, or A?

The jonin pushed those questions in the back of his mind. He _needed_ to know what happened to his student first.

"What happened to you, Kakashi?" he asked softly.

The young chuunin told him (most of) the truth.

* * *

"That was…"

"Odd?"

Minato shook his head. "Incredible."

Over the course of the detailed report – his sensei deserved that much at least – the future Yondaime had moved to sit beside Kakashi, sinking slightly into Okugi's fur. The time-traveller had an overly joyous grin on his muzzle that made Owl of Team Hound very nervous.

The Yellow Flash had never let go of Kakashi's shoulder. "So Kurama convinced the _Hachibi_ to let you go?" he asked, bewildered. "By reminding him of a time when they were _brothers_?"

Both Okugi and Kakashi nodded. They had to leave out the whole time-travel business, so of course it sounded stranger than it already was.

"Even if Kurama isn't the real Kyuubi?"

The bijuu grumbled something that went blessedly ignored by both Kakashis. The chuunin shrugged. "They were similar enough," he answered instead, hiding the fact that Gyuki had known from the start Kurama wasn't the one from this timeline.

They sat in silence for a while.

"We were worried," Minato eventually said.

Kakashi nodded. "I know."

"Obito had taken to spar with Gai, Kurenai, Asuma, Ebisu, Genma and Raido. He said he'd get you back himself and I quote: 'If that baka thinks we can't save him, we'll just have to prove him wrong.'"

Okugi's tails waved slightly. Kakashi nodded again. "Sounds like him."

"Rin had asked both me and Sarune-san to train her in offensive techniques – she's becoming skilled with senbon and poisons, you know. She often joins Obito when he spars with the others." Minato's hands were twitching.

Kakashi kept nodding. "Good for her."

"Anko has recovered and started to spar with Rin and Obito. Nobody actually believes her report on how you healed her injury, but she didn't tell anyone about your 'Kekkei Genkai'."

The chuunin hummed.

"I could hardly let Obito and Rin out of my sight." This time Okugi winced slightly – he knew how that felt. "Other jonin, once even an ANBU offered to watch over them for me. Each time I took them for training, your absence felt worse than… anything I've ever felt."

Okugi knew his sensei enough to know he would have said "worse than a kunai to the gut", but had backtracked once he realized how insensitive that would have been.

Minato's lips and hands twitched again.

Kakashi sighed softly. Why didn't Minato-sensei just _ask_? "You can hug me again, sensei-"

The Yellow Flash didn't waste any time in wrapping his arms around his student and burying his face in his silver hair. Okugi wrapped his tails around both of them, purring softly at the sheer _happiness_ of being with his sensei once more.

No one called him on it.

* * *

It was to the surprise of no one that Minato threw a party for Kakashi's return.

What actually surprised Konoha's population was Kakashi's actual _return_ and the strange creature that started following him around.

Some chuunin thought it was just a wild animal he happened to bond with during his captivity. Other jonin thought it was the summon of a Kumo-nin who befriended the boy to discover Konoha's secrets and report them back to the Raikage. Another part of the jonin thought it was a Kumo experiment that, once presented the chance to flee, it ran away to the nearest safe haven.

The younger genin thought the oversized white fox was a kind forest spirit who helped the boy flee.

Some of the older genin, those could claim to be at least Kakashi's almost friends, listened greedily to his explanation at the welcome-back party.

"Okugi was a Konoha summon," Kakashi explained once everyone had finished hugging him/patting him on the back/challenging him to a 'youthful competition' to 'rekindle' his 'Flames of Youth'. "Who had been told to wait for his master's return when he went scouting ahead. He never returned, yet Okugi still waited."

Gai was immediately reduced to youthful tears.

"A Kumo patrol captured him around the same time as me and imprisoned us together. He saw my hitai-ate and recognized me as an ally. When Orochimaru-sama broke us out we fled."

"MY ETERNAL RIVAL!" Gai threw himself at Kakashi, but the chuunin had had enough hugs that day to fill his yearly quota so he dodged. "WHAT A TEARFUL STORY OF LOYALTY AND BURNING COURAGE! THE FLAMES OF YOUTH SHINE BRIGHTLY IN YOUR MOST YOUTHFUL FURRY COMPANION!"

Okugi didn't dodge the hug. Instead he took it in stride and bumped his nose on Gai's.

The Green Beast of Konoha cried harder about loyalty and companionship, but by that point no one was really listening, least of all Kakashi.

Jiyo-sensei, Ebisu and Genma just sighed at the show of 'youthfulness', though they were a little relieved at seeing it once more. When news had spread about Kakashi's kidnapping, at first Gai had been bouncing all over Konoha to get his eternal rival back. Then almost a week later he just… deflated.

They knew now how unsettling a silent Gai was… and how hard it was to be reminded that even normal missions could turn into deathtraps, ready to snap the bonds between their comrades and friends.

Fuuyuki-sensei, Asuma, Kurenai and Raido too were immensely glad Kakashi returned. The rumors of what had happened and what _could_ have happened to their once-classmate had echoed more times than necessary in their heads, giving space to the most horrific of scenarios. They had known they could die, but it was a distant acknowledgment. They were too young to be involved in any mortal fights.

It was from the first mission they took with Team Minato, that that knowledge became reality: even the most prepared of them could have Death knocking at their doorstep.

Anko had been almost ready to deem Kakashi dead, she was ashamed to admit. Orochimaru-sensei had told her that usually, if a shinobi was held captive for more than a week, it was either too late to save their mind from breaking or they were already dead and rotting. "No use keeping prisoners for more time than that," he had told her, "unless they're too important to let die."

She had clung to the last part of her sensei's words to hope Kakashi was still alive.

Fortunately, Orochimaru-sensei has been proven wrong: Kakashi was alive and well.

(_'Or good at hiding his broken mind,'_ a traitorous corner of her mind whispered. It sounded like sensei.)

Nobody, however, was more relieved than Team Minato.

No member of that team allowed themselves to think _Kakashi_ and _dead _in the same sentence without _isn't_ in between. Both Obito and Rin trained hard, harder than they thought they could, hoping to show their missing teammate they had never given up on him – they couldn't exactly run after Kumo jonin, but they could train to be better… and make sure something like that never happened again.

Because there was no way Kakashi wouldn't return to them.

Minato had stewed in a dangerous mix of grief and rage – not to mention self-loathing – in the ten days his silver-haired student was missing. He could have been faster, stronger, smarter, _readier_.

Kakashi grudgingly let them hug him again, a helping of chocolate cake with the writing "Welcome home Kakashi" – when Minato even bought it, amidst all the party-planning, he wasn't sure – in one hand and a knife in the other. His yearly quota of hugs had been exceeded.

Okugi didn't care one bit, and Kakashi almost admitted to himself he didn't either.

* * *

Later that day, after the young chuunin had opened the gifts he'd been given – ranging from a different ninja uniform _without_ the leather straps that screamed 'grab me!' to a _potted plant_ of all things – everyone left the blonde's house.

Team Minato made their way to Training Ground 22.

Kakashi was baffled.

"You… what… sensei?"

Minato smiled sheepishly, but bright enough to rival the sun. "We wanted to make your return more special – we thought you'd like a spar, but if you want to do something else-"

"No, sensei," Kakashi was quick to correct, "I'd… like to. It's just…"

"I _told_ Minato-sensei to wait for this," Rin said with a mild glare aimed at the blonde, "but he insisted you'd like it _and_ you were ready. And Obito-"

"I'm always ready!" The smile on the Uchiha's face was equal parts eager and hopeful. "I'd have asked Gai to join, but Rin-chan-" the girl blushed slightly at the address, "-said it'd be better to wait – but why wait when we can do it now?! It's been so _long_!"

Okugi nudged Kakashi's back with his head. "You don't want to lose your edge, do you?" he lightly jabbed through their telepathic link. It surprised him – in a good way, of course – that Obito was eager to spar with his younger self, but maybe it was a way to inch closer to his teammate.

Maybe it was the _only_ way Obito knew that Kakashi wouldn't object.

Either way, the young chuunin nodded. "Let's spar – Obito, Rin and me against you, sensei."

Minato nodded with grin fit for an overenthusiastic five-year-old. "All out except explosions – I'd rather not have to explain this to Sandaime-sama."

The two genin and one chuunin nodded. Kakashi had one last thing to add though.

"Okugi will stay out of this one-" the half-demon whined at that, "-until we can work together properly."

The time-traveller lowered his ears, but eventually made his way under a tree of the training ground to sulk and watch his past team intently. He still had to begin _controlling_ his new chakra, but that could wait in favor of sparring with his team, right? Kurama nor Kakashi thought so.

Minato and Obito had too-large grins plastered on their faces. Rin looked uncertain for a moment, snuck a searching glance to her silver-haired teammate and let a smile bloom on her face. Kakashi readied himself.

"Go!"

Everyone took to the trees.

* * *

Obito was inordinately happy that his team was complete once more.

"Did you learn anything new?" the not-so-jerk-anymore asked them. He fortunately didn't add 'when I was away' or Kami forbid 'when I was kidnapped'.

"I can throw senbon and hit a small point on a still target thirty meters almost every time," Rin answered, a proud glint in her chocolate brown eyes. "I can't hit the point when it's a moving target or the distance is over forty meters. Fifty meters away and I often miss the target." As she spoke the gleam in her eyes dimmed slightly.

Kakashi nodded. For Rin, starting from almost scratch and training only for a week, it was a great accomplishment. "Good."

Blushing slightly, the kunoichi continued. "I can do the Wild Water Wave, too. Fuuyuki-san taught it to me when we found out my chakra nature was Water."

His older self's memories didn't include a ninjutsu-using Rin, so he counted that as a win. He nodded once more. "Well done."

Rin's light blush reached her ears.

Kakashi turned to the other boy. "Obito?"

"I never miss still targets when I use the Dragon's Breath!" he declared loudly enough he had to be shushed by both his teammates. "I can make hand seals faster, jump higher, run faster for more time, hit still targets with kunai and shuriken when upside down-"

"You trained a lot with Gai, didn't you." It wasn't a question.

Obito flushed slightly. "Y-Yeah… I had lots of time to practise my taijutsu, too…"

Kakashi almost snorted. Of course he had lots of taijutsu practice with _Gai_. "Good work," he said before he could control the slip of his tongue.

Obito remained speechless for a second before his grin widened. "So, what's the plan?"

Kurama had grudgingly accepted to lend yet another hand – and tail – to help Kakashi, but grouched that, if for the next week he woke him up for **"anything less than Madara's return"**, he'd scar him for life and beyond.

* * *

Minato didn't fiddle idly with his thumbs while his students finished planning.

He took his time to put a few traps of his own around his position, just for kicks. Obito and Rin would probably fall for them if they didn't pay enough attention, but Kakashi and Kurama were another story – they almost one-upped the Hachibi by themselves without Kurama turning full bijuu!

(For which he was grateful – Okugi's presence was enough to wrap his mind around, adding anything else would be downright traumatic.)

Of course, no explosives meant he could set only two thirds of the traps he knew.

No jonin-level traps meant he had one third of his traps left.

It didn't matter: what he really cared about was that he still had three students to use those traps on.

He grinned when Kakashi came at him with his tanto charged with chakra. He was using only a minimum of Kurama's chakra, Minato guessed, because his eyes were red but he wasn't glowing. He had also avoided all his traps.

The blonde jonin jumped to his right to avoid his student's downward slash and took out a marked kunai. "No surprise attack?" he lightly teased.

"Not this time," Kakashi shot back, dashing to clash blade to blade with his sensei.

Minato jumped back after a few dodged hits and let himself fall on a lower branch, near a seal of his traps. The chuunin didn't follow him – as he had expected: Kakashi knew he'd have to step on the trap if he were to chase him – and formed a string of hand seals instead.

"Raiton: Lightning Strike!"

The Yellow Flash leapt down to avoid the lightning, knowing that going up would have left him in Kakashi's sights. He sought cover under the foliage instead, and created a Shadow Clone.

The young chuunin created three Clones, although he couldn't have seen Minato's jutsu.

The jonin pouted. "Now, that's just multiplaying."

"It's multi_tasking_, sensei," one of the copies pointed out as two others jumped down to Minato's position with their tanto out. "Besides, I can feel your clone's chakra."

Of course he did. Minato grinned at the two Clones attacking him. "Really? Please tell me, what's he doing?"

Kakashi – the original, most likely – blinked, then cursed.

"Language, 'Kashi-kun!" he chided cheerfully. He then dispelled one of the Clones with a roundhouse-kick to the head as punishment – he wasn't the Yellow Flash for nothing!

The last copy went after Minato's Shadow Clone.

The original and the copy tag-teamed to land a hit on Minato, who was still grinning like crazy. Though he had to admit: it felt a little easier than the Bell Test Rematch, probably because Kakashi had returned just that morning.

The jonin Kawarimi'ed his way out of his student's double attack with chakra-extended blades. He blinked – that certainly was not expected. Kakashi had very good chakra control and internal help, but giving such a long edge to his Lightning chakra, in such a short time…

…Was that the ANBU kenjutsu stance?

Minato blinked once more – and almost got a kick to the face for his trouble – to ascertain that yes, Kakashi's normal technique with his tanto was mixed with the ANBU's. The thing was, the ANBU kenjutsu stance was used with longer swords than a tanto.

It didn't seem to matter however, since Kakashi had extended his blade to almost the length of an ANBU standard katana.

(Minato had had his own experiences with the ANBU corps, being one of Konoha's top jonin. He knew how most of them fought, and how they thought.)

Kakashi was, indeed, adopting an ANBU kenjutsu stance – and techniques – without thinking.

The point was, where did he learn them? He catalogued the question to be asked at a later time.

* * *

Obito almost fell off his branch when a tree crashed near his position.

He whipped his head around to see what happened to make it fall, then breathed a sigh of relief. No traps have been triggered or damaged, and Bakakashi was leading Minato-sensei in another direction.

The boy looked in Rin's direction and was glad to see her – his chakra sensing ability had improved and Rin was still in position. _"Orders?" _he signalled to her. Obito had rarely blessed so much the Uchiha's enhanced eyesight even without the Sharingan.

She tapped her heart twice, then covered it with her palm. _"Stay and protect," _it meant. His teammate touched her ears and made an horizontal circle with her index finger. _"Pay attention." _

Obito grinned and saluted her – earning a similar gesture from Rin – before trying to track sensei's or, at the very least, Kakashi's position.

They were somewhere to his left, both their chakras flaring and shrinking and disappearing before burning bright once more. The strange feeling almost threw Obito off balance, as if he were swept away by their ever-changing tides.

At least six more trees fell and he thought he heard Minato-sensei whine, "'Kashi-kun, I said _no_ _explosives_!"

Then Bakakashi remarked, loud enough to be heard, "It wasn't _supposed_ to be explosive!"

The change was… staggering. Did Kakashi just _yell_ that one of his jutsu or whatever _backfired_ and became explosive instead of whatever it should have been?

Kakashi sent an onslaught of chakra in their direction that screamed _"Prepare yourselves!" _

Obito had to hug the branch upside down – sticking with his own chakra of course – to stop himself from falling. Rin probably just crouched lower where she was.

It wasn't long before Kakashi and Minato-sensei came into view as coloured sparkly blurs.

Rin let loose three senbon in three different directions.

A cluster of kunai rained on their sensei from his sides, which he easily avoided. "Old tactic, Rin-chan!"

The third senbon struck another wire and a thump followed, but nothing happened. Yet.

"Obito-kun, do you need another lesson on traps?" Minato lightly chided, knowing the provocation could make his student slip. The Uchiha just grinned.

The Yellow Flash soon found himself target of an angry hornet's nest.

* * *

Minato was both impressed and unimpressed, especially when both Obito and Rin fled.

Impressed because they found the hive, worked around it and implemented it in their plan in their limited time. Unimpressed because they were using a damn _hornet nest_ on _him_.

Kakashi just closed his eyes happily – _eh?_ – for a brief moment before Minato was sure he was _grinning_. That smug look was as unexpected as it was (fondly) irritating. "Insects are allowed, ne, sensei?"

The clone didn't waste time in disappearing because _nope_ – the original won't be happy _at all_ if he has to scratch phantom wasp stings for the next hours.

* * *

The true Minato was halfway through a back flip when his clone's memories returned to him.

His cute little genin – and one chuunin – were already such devious ninja, weren't they.

Also, Kakashi showed _open positive emotions_! Sure, they were mostly at his expense, but Minato couldn't be picky with this great a development. He smiled to himself – finally!

His grin stretched further when he heard Obito yelp.

The original Kakashi he was fighting against – who sometimes slightly overestimated his reach with both arms and legs, hmmm – snapped his head around at the sound. Minato almost poked his student's ribs with a chakra-charged finger if he hadn't Kawarimi'ed away in time.

Kakashi didn't come out to attack him again and Minato searched the nearby area for him.

* * *

"Heeeeeeeelp!"

"Shut it, Obito."

Both genin blinked at their teammate. Obito smiled sheepishly and would have rubbed the back of his head if he were less bound. "Eheh, eh…"

Kakashi freed Obito and Rin from the cocoon of ninja wire they were trapped in with a few quick slashes of his tanto. His… friends straightened when their feet touched the ground once more.

Slow clapping made them turn around briefly.

Minato-sensei had already left that spot, Kakashi knew. He also knew the four ANBU watching him weren't Team Hound, and his sensei was right over them. He wasn't building his chakra, though.

The three younger shinobi leapt high in the air and dived straight for the jonin.

As soon as the blonde threw a dozen of his marked kunai on the clearing, he turned to them with a smirk. "A little too late for that, kids!" He said as he blocked Rin's unexpected punch.

Rin smiled a tad too deviously for his taste. "You think so, Minato-sensei?"

Minato's smirk slid right off his face when his genin's eyes bled red and he was enveloped in chakra claws. Obito came at him with a kunai slash too precise and swift for him to be anyone but a Henged Kakashi.

The Yellow Flash had to use the Hiraishin to flee his Henged student – all three of them _copies_. Damn, how the hell did he fall for that?

"Katon: Great Fireball!"

"Suiton: Wild Water Wave!"

He dodged Obito and Rin's unusual combination, but when the two ninjutsu met the patch of forest they were in was filled with thick mist. It was mostly vapour though, so Minato shot his chakra in all directions to dispel it.

Kakashi and Kurama's chakra kept the mist around him. The blonde jonin didn't know whether he should beam proudly or frown at the tactic.

His students were out of his sight, but the chakra around him was thick enough he was instantly reminded of the dreaded Turtle Mines. Kakashi could _probably_ make heads and tails of what went on under the mist – but himself, Rin and Obito were at a great sensorial disadvantage.

And this was supposed to be a _light_, friendly spar – Kakashi was always full of surprises, wasn't he.

Minato teleported to one of his kunai farther from him, glad that Kurama's chakra didn't hinder his Hiraishin like the Sanbi's.

"Katon: Dragon's Breath!" came Obito's voice from his right.

Minato leapt away and spun on himself to avoid the roaring fireballs. He was forced to teleport once more when Kakashi attempted to grab him with a massive chakra claw.

"Suiton: Wild Water Wave!" Of course Rin was ready to attack him, of course. He beamed at her.

The wave was bigger than he had expected from the kunoichi and he stepped on a fairly large puddle. His cute little genin jumped on a high branch behind them.

"Raiton: Lightning Field!"

Minato quickly considered which of his kunai was farther from the water, and found out with a jolt that all of his thrown weapons were wet. Kakashi was either a mastermind in planning or managed to organize a new clever tactic each time, because Minato had to throw the kunai in his hand to avoid the electric field.

Kakashi was ready to slash at him with his chakra-charged tanto.

The blonde jonin quickly Kawarimi'ed the hell out of his team's unrelenting attacks, still beaming.

* * *

In the end, Minato had called it a day when his chakra reserves were pushed further than he liked.

Rin and Obito, both panting and the latter almost flopping on the ground, readily agreed.

It was already late in the evening, after more than the planned three hours of sparring. It was astonishing how quickly time flew by and how fun and exhilarating sparring with all three of his students had been.

Kakashi had a staring contest with an overly-joyous Okugi before he sighed and offered both his teammates a ride to the Uchiha Compound and Rin's house, "for a work well done."

Minato chuckled to himself – though his cute little chuunin heard it, by the glare he shot his sensei – and wished time stopped, if only just a couple of days, so that his team could enjoy themselves without the war looming over their heads.

He wished his team could laugh and joke and bicker on a wind-swept, green grass field, instead of the blood-stained ground they were forced to fight in.

* * *

**I couldn't keep myself from writing yet another 'battle' scene. ;)**

**(Listening to: mainly Pompeii by Bastille, but also Meet me on the Battlefield by Svracina. I know it doesn't really make sense, but I got kind of dragged along by my Muse. Hell if I know what those songs told her to get all this final fluffy angst :/) **

**Orochock gets screen-time! Minato gets screen-time! Obito gets screen-time! Rin gets screen-time! And Older Kakashi bleeds through Younger Kakashi! YAY! :D**

**Orochock and (probably) Anko will get more screen-time! Just you wait, dattebayo! ;D**

**As per usual, any questions are to be delivered through review or PM and I'll answer to any and all either in the next Chapter or through PM. **

**Beware of the Kitsune's rage!**

**Shiiroi Kitsune21 **


	36. Chapter 35: Questions and Preparations

**Incredibly long Chapter ahead! Beware! :D**

**No fights this time, sorry folks! **

**Thanks to like-a-freaking-fangirl, Unterflieger, ChamaeleonEyes, Chiruka, anaisonfire, AngelicRiver, Prescripto13, cloystreng, Bindi-fox, NarutoxHonoka, Guest, Angel Hatake, StorytellerD132, Sailor Pandabear, VampireDoll666, Rika24 and Guest for reviewing!**

**I'd hug everyone who fav'ed and followed too, but alas I can't name 509 followers and 399 favorites! Thank you so much, guys and gals! I hope you know how much it means to me! :'D **

**Cloystreng: Older Kakashi had left his memories in Chibi Kakashi, and what are we if not the ****_stories we live, the tales we tell ourselves? _****(Assassin's Creed reference! :D) Basically, it wasn't Older Kakashi's conscience that took over, but his personality that stuck with his younger self. :3**

**Bindi-fox: Older Kakashi missed him dearly, how can he not take his offer of hugs? XD I always worry that my characters are OOC, so to hear (read) I kept them in character makes ****_my_**** day! I'm so happy I, puny human, made your ****_week_**** (a week!) with a bunch of words! Thank you! ;D**

**NarutoxHonoka: yup, Kushina's still on mission! But she's mentioned at the end of this waaaay too long Chapter, so… uh. Yeah. I thought about adding her, but then it'd have gone overboard with the words ;)**

**StorytellerD132 and VampireDoll666: Aaaand the Orochimaru Question is at the end of the Chapter. That probably answers the raging battle in my head between Logic and Preference D:**

**Rika24: the merging was definitely easier with only one conscience! Also, with the upcoming Chuunin Exams I can add more Youthful Gai, for the joy of everyone and the poor humor in this story! XD **

**I don't own Naruto – fortunately for just about every sane human on Earth – but I still got this Chapter out! Now, without further ado… **

* * *

**Chapter 35: Questions and Preparations**

Team Ox, which had temporarily taken over Team Hound in keeping an eye on Kakashi, reported some unusual news that night.

"The Hatake kid used the ANBU standard kenjutsu style," Ox stated, though the Sandaime could hear confusion underneath his blank tone, "and one of the ANBU tactics, as well."

"What kind of tactics?"

"He implemented flawlessly the double ambush after he signaled his two teammates of his plan, Hokage-sama. The fact they even knew the hand signs for that is unusual by itself, not to mention suspicious."

The Hokage nodded at the man. "Kakashi had taught them to his teammates months ago; Hound too expressed his suspicions about that."

Ox stayed silent for a moment. "Hokage-sama, may I ask you something?"

The Sandaime nodded.

"Has Kakashi Hatake ever received ANBU training?"

At the question, he leaned back in his chair with a soft sigh. He mentally reviewed every interaction between the young chuunin and Konoha's highest elite.

Kakashi's mother _was_ in ANBU – the lithe Lynx of Team Jackal – but she had died when he was just one year old. He couldn't possibly remember more than a vague face, maybe a smell, about her, if anything at all. Hiruzen was also sure she hadn't had time to teach him anything about shinobi, much less ANBU. It was Sakumo who took it upon himself to train his son before he became a genin.

From then on Kakashi was mostly under Minato's wing, who the Hokage was sure was not ANBU. Jiraya had visited his grand-student a lot during the year before Sakumo's fateful mission – then he had been called to battle, and the visits became more sporadic.

Kushina, Orochimaru, Sarune, Fuuyuki, Jiyo and any other jonin Kakashi interacted with were not ANBU.

Team Hound had never spoken to Kakashi directly.

The double ambush tactic could be chalked up to Kakashi's genius mind – or Kurama's addictional help, for those who knew about him – but the ANBU kenjutsu style? Kakashi had consciously used techniques for a longer sword than a tanto and _that_ couldn't be overlooked. What if it hindered him in another fight?

Maybe it was Kurama's doing. But even then, the Hokage would have known if one of his ANBU had a bijuu in their gut.

He'd have to personally ask Kakashi and Kurama if the situation escalated to something more worrying.

"No, Ox – he has never received ANBU training."

The shinobi nodded in acceptance. "…Understood."

"Keep guard over Kakashi and report to me anything else you find suspicious. Team Hound will take over in a week, at the start of the Chuunin Exams."

As soon as Team Ox chorused "Hai!" and vanished, someone knocked on the Hokage's door.

He barely suppressed a sigh at the chakra signature on the other side. Why did he choose that moment in the middle of the night to know about the Kyuubi imitator? "Enter."

* * *

Orochimaru stepped into his sensei's office.

He was calm. He was relaxed and focused, because he pieced together the information he had gathered since Kumo's sudden attack seven months ago and analyzed the picture.

_._

_"__The Raikage wanted the Jinchuuriki." _

_Was it Orochimaru's impression, or Minato looked paler?_

_._

_"__Stabbed and poisoned, uh? Did he survive?"_

_"…__Yes."_

_"__And how is he?"_

_"__Kakashi's fine – Hokage-sama wrote he's already healed."_

_"__Well, doesn't this bring back memories? Like that time Kushina-san had a mission in Kusa…"_

_._

_Kumo would surrender immediately if Konoha gave up Kakashi Hatake? First the Jinchuuriki, now Sakumo's son? What the hell was up with them? _

_Maybe they wanted to get Kushina while Konoha focused on protecting Kakashi. Or maybe not, and there was something the red-head and the chuunin had in common. Something relevant enough to warrant Kumo's attention…_

_Their first target was Kushina, now Kakashi… they weren't known to be quitters after only a few months of trial._

_._

_There weren't any angry red stripes that came with rope scraping against skin and flesh. _

_"__In the timeframe you've been held captive no physical wounds would have healed this completely."_

_Only an Uzumaki's or bijuu's chakra could withstand an onslaught of the Hachibi's own with minimum consequences. _

_It was definitely a barrier in Kakashi's chakra system. A Fuinjutsu, then. _

.

It was embarrassing how Orochimaru hadn't figured it out sooner, really. Minato, Kakashi and the Kumo-nin kept throwing evidence in his face all this time and he had to hear the little chuunin say, "It's an S-rank secret, Hokage-sama's orders," to fully understand and piece together the clues.

He was getting sloppy, damn it.

(It also hurt that his sensei didn't trust him enough with this information. A bijuu was a wild card, an ever-changing factor that could very well turn a successful rescue mission into a massacre. As the jonin in command, Orochimaru should have been notified about Kakashi's Jinchuuriki status.)

Sarutobi-sensei engaged the privacy seals in his office. "I assume you already have an idea of what I'm going to tell you."

Orochimaru nodded. "Kakashi Hatake has been a Jinchuuriki for the last seven months."

"Yes, he has," the older man confirmed. A corner of his lips subtly twitched up, probably in pride. "It's supposed to be a secret told strictly on a need-to-know basis. The people who know about it are Minato-san, the Elder Council, the ANBU Commander, Hikari Ryuu in charge of the barrier around Konoha, Jiraya, Kushina, Team Hound, myself and now you."

Well, wasn't that a _small_ number of people. 'Need-to-know basis', eh?

"Jiraya and Team Hound were with me when Minato-san reported his discovery of the seal on Kakashi-kun. Homura, Koharu and Danzo had been notified shortly after to prepare better defenses. Hikari and Kitsune had been told to watch out for the shinobi who sealed the bijuu. Kushina had been told about it because she might have helped Kakashi-kun."

The wording sounded suspicious. "'Might have', Sarutobi-sensei?"

The Hokage looked as if he wanted to be anywhere else but there. "She discovered the bijuu sealed inside Kakashi is a Kyuubi imitator, who had done nothing but help Kakashi-kun so far and, in turn, Konoha. Every piece of evidence leads to the only conclusion of him being a friendly bijuu. The sealer was an unknown shinobi."

…And Sarutobi-sensei believed that? Orochimaru knew the older man had the tendency to prefer peace and believed in second chances and all that, but really? A _friendly bijuu_, not to mention a _Kyuubi imitator_, that has helped Konoha since day one? Sealed by an _unknown_ shinobi?

He shouldn't have gone to the Hokage's office as soon as he returned. He almost sighed into his hand, but restrained that movement into a slight twitch of his fingers. "What do we know about that unknown shinobi, Hokage-sama?"

His sensei had no qualms about sighing and reaching for his pipe. "Only Kurama – the Kyuubi imitator – has seen him, but he doesn't know his identity. He could teleport and was a high-level genjutsu user, not to mention a Fuinjutsu master who created the seal he used on Kakashi. He was alone when he did it. He's dead but he has associates that will undoubtedly try to get Kurama back – their initial plan to destroy Konoha failed when Kurama decided to help Kakashi-kun."

Orochimaru absorbed that information and tried to piece it together so that it made sense.

Assuming everything the Kyuubi imitator said was true – which it might very well not be – the first step would be to track Mister X's associates. To do that, they needed to know what kind of shinobi he was, and in turn what kind of ninja he had surrounded himself with.

Mister X was a genjutsu and seal master. He could have used his teleporting ability to get into Konoha undetected, sneak into Kakashi's apartment and then use that unique, probably unstable seal to create a bijuu time bomb. It didn't have a structure Orochimaru could recognize – he had to study more Fuinjutsu.

He could have used any of his high-level Genjutsu to cover his tracks, or lead the first pursuers astray.

The fact he could teleport could hint at an Hiraishin user, but one was dead and the other was Kakashi's sensei, who was clearly not a genjutsu master. It had to be some kind of unknown Kinjutsu or Kekkei Genkai, then.

But what group of shinobi would create a damn Kyuubi imitator and, instead of directly unleashing it on Konoha, seal it inside one of the village's ninja? It couldn't be any known nukenin: they weren't nearly as powerful as to complete such a difficult and delicate operation.

Kiri-nin were known for various Kekkei Genkai, but what grudge would they have against Konoha? Maybe Mister X was a former Kiri-nin, who betrayed them recently enough to not be known. But someone of his talent would have been noted in some Bingo Book.

Kumo was definitely out of the question: they wouldn't have gone through all this trouble had they had the Kyuubi imitator from the start. Kakashi's Jinchuuriki status had been as unexpected to Konoha as it was to them.

Iwa? As if the Tsuchikage would let a bijuu of the Kyuubi's strength to slip through his fingers. Suna had the Ichibi, the least powerful of all demons, and its Jinchuuriki was old and weakened. They wouldn't have risked gifting a willing bijuu to Konoha, either.

It had to be a group of nukenin who laid low all this time. A group of nukenin who either had a grudge against Konoha or were, against all logic, unexpectedly helpful.

Unless it wasn't a group of nukenin, but someone inside the village who wanted to lend a hand in the most roundabout way possible. Were there any teleporting high-level genjutsu users and fuinjutsu masters?

…The Uchiha fit the high-level genjutsu users category. There were only a handful of them – less than fifty – who had practiced Fuinjutsu, and only ten could be reluctantly regarded as A-rank sealing masters. Two of them had the skills to reach S-rank, but they seemed content enough with their level. Pathetic – why stop learning when you can continue?

No teleporting shinobi however, besides Minato, who was still on his way to become a Fuinjutsu master but was doing no progress with genjutsu.

A possibly rogue shinobi with at least a Sharingan and another teleporting Kekkei Genkai? A half-Uchiha half-something else from Kiri?

It… it didn't make sense. There was too little evidence.

And that made Orochimaru highly annoyed.

"No other information about this shinobi, I assume," he hissed.

Sarutobi-sensei shook his head. "Nothing on him, nor his associates."

No more intel on that front, then. "What about the creature Team Hound had found?"

"It's a half-demon composed entirely by Kakashi and Kurama's chakra."

Wasn't that interesting. Orochimaru nodded – its chakra felt too strange for it to be just a wild animal or even a summon. The Kyuubi imitator must have created it to aid Kakashi's (and his own) escape, but his plan failed when they were separated. "Understood. I'll take my leave now, Hokage-sama."

His sensei nodded back. "Goodnight, Orochimaru."

And that was it for the night.

* * *

_The next afternoon_

After Obito and Rin's morning training on endurance – everyone but Kakashi unanimously agreed to leave the young chuunin out of that, allowing him only to rest near them – Team Minato received a sudden visit.

Orochimaru himself and his apprentice Anko had dropped by.

"Minato," he addressed the other jonin, barely glancing at his students. "If I can have a word with you."

"Uh, sure." The Yellow Flash told his genin to rest for five minutes before starting the obstacle course set up in Training Ground 25. They panted affirmatively.

Kakashi strained to hear the conversation, tugging absently at his new, too-tight-to-be-grabbed leather strap crossing his chest from his left shoulder to his right hip. He had tried to tie his tanto on the belt Minato-sensei gave him as a gift, but it ended up _clinking_ by his side at every step.

So the young chuunin had to add that leather strap, after making sure grabbing it would require tearing it off him which, let's face it, was not going to happen. The belt and the brand new pouches were a bit bigger than his old ones too, so he could store more weapons and supplies in case he needed them.

During the 'welcome back' party, Rin had gifted him with a small medical kit – there were even a few antidotes, brewed by the kunoichi on Obito's half-serious suggestion – and a midnight black t-shirt with golden flame-like designs on the sleeves. On the back there was the Hatake Clan symbol surrounded by two silver wolves.

(Okugi had snorted, and Kakashi raised an eyebrow his sensei. There was no way this was on sale, but for the life of him he couldn't figure out _when_ Minato had the shirt made. It didn't matter though: it was of a high-quality material and there were enough hidden pockets to make up for the mystery.)

"What can I do for you, Orochimaru-sama?"

"The Chuunin Exams begin in a week and Anko is still without a team. Your two genin need a third member to participate, who you don't seem to have found."

Minato-sensei's chakra brightened considerably. "Now I have, Orochimaru-sama, if I understand correctly your intentions."

"You do." Orochimaru's chakra didn't change in any particular way.

"I'll tell everyone of the change, then." The younger man was giddy, his energy almost bouncing in excitement.

"That didn't happen the first time around," Okugi commented. "Orochimaru had a full genin team. I guess he was too busy on the field for Hokage-sama to give him the other two."

Kakashi nodded minutely. _'Who was with Obito and Rin?' _

"Aoba Yamashiro, I don't think you've met him. I don't know what he did before he became a Tokubetsu jonin." He sounded as if he were grieving. Kakashi nodded again and didn't comment on his older self's emotions.

Minato clapped his hands to get everyone's attention.

"Listen up, kids!" Obito grumbled something about 'not being a that small' that earned him a pointed look from Rin – and a more subtle one from Kakashi. "The Chuunin Exams, as I've told you, begin in a week. Anko here will join you to complete the team and will take the exams with you!"

Both Rin and Obito cheered with a, "Welcome to the team, Anko!" and the boy patted her on the back.

Orochimaru left with a nod as soon as Minato announced the news.

The jonin blinked at the quick shunshin, then turned with a grin to his new temporary student. "So, Anko-chan, we've seen part of your skills last time, but I bet that can't be all. Why don't you show us?"

* * *

Anko sparred with both Obito and Rin but not the other two, because Minato-san preferred to watch her and Kakashi was resting – "against my will," he had muttered, but his sensei pretended not to hear him. Okugi had smirked at that though.

"Where did you learn that jutsu?!" the Uchiha asked enthusiastically. He probably referred to the Dragon Fire ninjutsu, from which Rin had to save him with a Suiton jutsu.

The violet-haired kunoichi blinked at him. "Orochimaru-sensei taught it to me, duh."

"But…!" he flailed his arms, likely trying to find the words. Rin smacked him lightly on the leg and told him, "You fought with a branch and the branch won, you don't want to take the Exams with bruised ribs, do you? Obito, stop moving…!" "How did you make the fire stick to the wires? It didn't feel like you put oil on them!"

Anko rolled her eyes. "It's _special_ ninja wire. Part of it is made of metal highly reactive to chakra."

"Annai wires, then," Kakashi murmured from his spot under the shadow of a tree. Rin and Obito were sitting by his left side, where Okugi's head was lying on his paws, while Anko was on the other. Minato was standing near Okugi's tails. "Earth-natured ninja focus their chakra on either iron or copper before mining it out and treating it to make the wires."

All four of them should have expected it. Minato kept watch on them, chuckling softly. "That's right, 'Kashi-kun," he said, reaching to ruffle his student's hair. The chuunin swiftly dodged the gesture with a scowl.

Rin thought about her teammate's words, then nodded. "Like for the chakra test papers."

Kakashi hummed affirmatively.

Obito's expression scrunched up in concentration. "You mean that paper I burnt when I put chakra into it?"

"Of course we do, Obito – do you usually randomly set slips of paper on fire?"

"B-Bakakashi!" he floundered, blushing slightly. "It, uh… never happened. Uhm."

"…Obito." This time it was Rin who pinned her teammate with a mild glare. The boy gulped. "When?"

"…I may or I may not have, uh…" Obito turned redder at the slightly interested stares he got from Kakashi and Anko. Minato's looked half-amused, but Rin's promised a punch on his bruised ribs. He almost flinched at that. "…two years ago, I found a, uh, box. Full of that chakra testing stuff. In my aunt's house. It seemed fun to test my chakra on those. So I, ah…"

Kakashi snorted. The sound was so unexpected everyone turned to him with both eyebrows up. "You almost set fire to your aunt's house?"

Obito's blush deepened as he scowled. "I didn't– it was all _controlled_!"

"Was it, Obito-_kun_?" Rin asked oh-so-sweetly. Her healing hands had already finished their work, but it (probably) wouldn't be above the kunoichi to smack him again to 'practice a little more'. Not when Obito's more life-threatening Stupid Tales were brought up.

"Uncle knew Suiton, so the fire didn't spread…"

Rin considered whether hitting him or not. Anko decided in her place.

"OW! Anko-chan!"

"I'm only two years younger than you and I'm not that little, you _baka_!" Cue another swat on his head.

This time Obito avoided it. He ended up on Kakashi's lap instead.

"Get off me!" the chuunin shoved his teammate with little sympathy, charging his hands with lightning chakra for the heck of it.

Obito yelped at the electric surge and jumped on one of Okugi's tails.

The supposed Konoha summon growled – playfully, Minato hoped – and pounced on the impudent genin.

"Bakakashi! He's gonna _eat_ me!" the young Uchiha shouted as Okugi chased him lazily. He seemed to enjoy making the genin run for his life. The half-demon put a little more speed into his steps and nipped playfully at Obito's heels.

Obito screamed bloody murder. "Call him off, call him _off_!"

Kakashi found his tanto – which he had been polishing for the last half an hour – very interesting to look at and ignored his panicking teammate completely.

Anko laughed and sat back to enjoy the show. After glancing at his sensei and silver-haired teammate and watching Okugi chase Obito around in circles, she too leaned back and smiled.

Minato face-palmed at his team's attitude, but couldn't help the chuckle leaving his lips.

_Children. _

* * *

Two days later, Minato showed up to the Training Ground 25 with a young woman.

"This," he said with a grin, "is Minami Fuuma, tokubetsu jonin specialized in genjutsu."

The brown-haired woman nodded, the two bangs framing her face swaying slightly. The rest of her hair was tied up in a neat bun over her head. "I've heard a lot about all of you," she added as her gaze lingered on Team Minato and Anko. She frowned slightly when she looked at Okugi before her expression morphed into a small, not-exactly-friendly smile.

"You have quite a known team, Namikaze-san – Sarune-neesan just won't shut up about them. Rin-chan and Obito-kun in particular, though Kakashi-kun and Anko-chan are the talk of the village these days." The woman reached Okugi's head to pat him, but he moved out of her reach. "This guy too already has a reputation among the jonin."

Minato chuckled awkwardly at the silence that fell upon them. She seemed to know all about them, while they knew nothing about her. "Well, Minami-san, now that we've finished the introduction… what about we begin genjutsu training?" The woman nodded.

"Genjutsu training?" Obito parroted, uncertain.

His sensei nodded. "Not everyone during the Chuunin Exams uses taijutsu and ninjutsu. Most genin prefer them, but others have a certain predisposition to the other main ninja art – genjutsu. They'll be clever and sneaky opponents, who can be very dangerous if you don't know how to deal with illusions."

Rin shuddered. "Kakashi-kun has already tried to use genjutsu on us, sensei."

Obito's face turned a little green at the memory of an upside down reality. He agreed with his teammate, nodding a little too frantically.

"I know," he placidly said, though he shot a _look_ in Kakashi's direction. "But there is more than one type of genjutsu, and they all require lots of chakra control: they're usually divided in two groups by difficulty."

Minami took over the explanation from there. "The first group is the main one, the True World Genjutsu. Most of the techniques are included into this category because the caster meddles with the target's chakra to create images, sounds, sometimes even smells to deceive the target. Shinobi use this kind of Genjutsu to trick their enemies into thinking they're somewhere else, or even not there at all. Sometimes they rely on the caster's imagination and attention to details to create something that doesn't exist: a pack of wolves, a trail of blood, a corpse-" Obito shuddered at that image, "-and anything that can buy the caster precious seconds to kill their target."

The green-eyed woman smirked. "However, the true _fun_ comes with the second, most difficult kind: False World Genjutsu."

No one quite liked the way she said 'fun'. "What do they do, Minami-san?" Anko bravely asked, though she had a hunch.

"As the name suggests," the jonin _purred_, "they do more than meddle with the five senses. They are the most feared Genjutsu: the target is trapped in an actual illusionary world created by the caster, in which they can trick the target's mind into feeling excruciating pain when, in reality, they haven't been touched."

Both Kakashi and Okugi had a full-body shudder that suggested a past traumatic experience.

Minato planned to get an explanation for that, and if he got a name as well… eh, someone will _probably_ get dismembered limb by limb. Slowly. Kicking and screaming, though not kicking for long.

"The human mind is a fickle thing," Minami continued, ignoring the looks of horror she was receiving from the genin, "and even illusionary pain can be debilitating."

"But I don't think other genin can properly use that, so you don't have to worry too much!" she cheerily added as she clapped her hands. Her mood just took a one-eighty from bloodthirsty to happy-go-lucky. It was upsetting, and more than a little frightening. "They're also used mainly as torture methods-" everyone's eyes snapped briefly to Kakashi, "-so it's unlikely you'll have to face them. Any questions before we begin?"

After a few tense seconds, Rin spoke up. "M-Minami-san… at the Academy, we learnt that pain can dispel a genjutsu. How can the… False World Genjutsu inflict pain, when they can be dispelled with that?"

The tokubetsu jonin smirked. "_Real_ pain can dispel the genjutsu. _Illusionary_ pain only strengthens it, because the target's mind will convince itself of the fake world's existence without added chakra from the caster."

"U-Understood, Minami-san…" Rin gulped, her face paler than usual.

Minato kind of regretted having brought such a blunt kunoichi for genjutsu training, but he knew his students would be better off knowing everything sooner, rather than discovering it the hard way during the Exams. He was doing it for their own good, he reminded himself.

He also couldn't find anyone else he knew with an expertise on genjutsu: they were mostly busy, loners, Uchiha or a combination of the three. Often all three together.

"And the Sharingan?" Obito cringed at the woman's stare. It didn't look friendly. "It can create genjutsu and dispel them faster, right?"

Minami nodded. "It allows an advantage when confronted with an illusion, yes. The Sharingan – as you should know-" the Uchiha squirmed slightly, "-can see sooner more details and discrepancies in both illusion and reality, which is a determinant factor when stuck in a genjutsu. Every second spent in an illusion is a second in which you can be killed."

Obito and Rin shuddered. Anko's fingers twitched.

"That dojutsu can also detect irregularities in someone's chakra flow, for example your teammates', so you know when they're being affected by a genjutsu. In the more advanced stages, you should be able to see the caster's chakra linked to your teammate's, as well." The kunoichi shrugged. "That's what my sensei told me, at least."

The young Uchiha answered with a trembling nod.

"What if two Sharingan users," everyone turned to Kakashi once more, "were to use a genjutsu on each other? Who would come out on top?"

Minato recovered first from his gaping. Did that mean he expected Obito to awaken his Sharingan and have to confront with his clansmen during the Exams?

The brown-haired jonin also seemed the slightest bit surprised. "It's unusual for two Uchiha to attempt a genjutsu on each other," she commented, "but it isn't unheard of. Usually the one with more experience in genjutsu breaks the illusion first, so they have an advantage. But sometimes – at least, that I know about – even the youngest can win if their Sharingan is more developed then the other's. It's a rare case, though."

Kakashi nodded and stayed silent.

"What about the Byakugan?" Anko asked. "It's a dojutsu as well, and even if it can't cast genjutsu it gives a more detailed visual than the Sharigan. Are the Hyuuga advantaged when under a genjutsu because of that?"

The woman shook her head. "It's a dojutsu that focuses on the shinobi chakra system and its tenketsu, so it doesn't give any particular advantage when trapped in a False World Genjutsu. The True World ones can be easily recognized if the caster puts too much incriminating chakra, but otherwise the Hyuuga are on the same level as those without Byakugan."

"Understood, Minami-san."

The older kunoichi allowed a wide smile to stretch on her red lips. "So, shall we finally begin?"

Kakashi – and, reluctantly, Okugi – left his genin teammates to fend for themselves. He had already taken the Chuunin Exams and his older self's knowledge about genjutsu was _jonin-level_: he had no need to subject himself to that kind of training again.

"I'm going to the lake in this Training Ground to train," Kakashi informed his sensei, already turning around to jump. Obito fell to the ground behind him.

The chuunin didn't expect his sensei to say, "I'm coming with you."

With a slightly hesitant nod, he allowed Minato to follow him.

* * *

Older Kakashi barely had enough chakra control to jump between trees.

If some of the branches had deeper claw marks than usual, or his imprints smelled strongly of Kurama's chakra – his own? – he could only grit his teeth (fangs) and try harder to control his energy.

He, his younger self and Minato-sensei stopped in front of a small lake.

"Okugi," the chuunin addressed him, "you know your chakra control is barely genin-level, right?"

"I know," he grumbled and Minato-sensei blinked at him. He must have known summons could speak, but was surprised he hadn't done so before.

"Then you know what to do." Chibi Kakashi pointed one of the tallest trees near the lake. Okugi nodded and made his way to the plant.

…At this point, he'd form the Tiger hand seal to better focus his chakra. Sure, his body wasn't what he was used to, but his paws were enough hand-like to allow him a simple hand seal. He thanked the Sage of Six Paths for that.

Okugi rose to his hind legs and locked his front paws into the Tiger hand seal, closing his eyes.

Minato made a curious – surprised, suspicious, interested – hum.

Then Older Kakashi made a run for the tree bark, tightly controlling his rushing chakra.

He got three meters over the tree before he was blasted off in the most embarrassing way ever. He sunk in the lake with an exasperated whine before slowly swimming his way back to the tree. At least it hadn't fallen.

He heard his younger self sigh. "I don't have to tell you what you've done wrong."

"You had problems with tree walking, too!" Okugi barked back, having listened to Kurama when he talked about that first training session. He shook most of the water off himself – which rained _accidentally_ on the young chuunin.

Kakashi hurled a kunai at him. "Move!"

Okugi snickered at the angry puppy look on the boy before returning to tree walking.

He still kept an ear out for his younger self and Minato-sensei's conversation. The jonin had approached his student after Okugi's third failed attempt.

"Kakashi," Minato began, "you were telling the truth when you told me about… what Killer Bee did, weren't you."

The boy nodded. "Of course I was."

"Did you omit anything about that?"

"I didn't." Though the accusation was partially true, it still stung.

"Did anyone… use a False World Genjutsu on you?" Minato would've probably added a 'dare' before 'use'.

Kurama was still replenishing his missing three tails, so Kakashi was left to create his own lies. "…Once, seven months ago. When Kurama was sealed."

Okugi was blasted into the water before he could see the – probably furious – look on his sensei's face.

"What did he make you see?" _That could still shake you after all this time, _Older Kakashi added mentally. Minato-sensei must have seen the reaction he had at the mention of that type of genjutsu. Itachi's Tsukuyomi was rather hard to forget, after all.

Kakashi kept silent.

"…What do you remember?" Minato whispered, so quiet that Okugi might have missed it had his senses not have been enhanced.

For a couple of seconds, it seemed the young chuunin would give him the silent treatment. Then he spoke. "Everyone was dead," he answered blankly. "You, Kushina, Rin, Obito, Anko, Hokage-sama, Jiraya-sama, Tsunade-sama… even Tou-san, at the beginning."

Minato's eyes turned icy for a second before they melted into a warm, comforting gaze. He didn't show surprise at the way his student called Sakumo Hatake.

(Seven months ago, Chibi Kakashi would have scoffed and leapt away to face his problems alone.)

(He also wouldn't have been caught uttering Sakumo's name, much less calling him Tou-san. It had to be the influence of Older Kakashi's memories of forgiveness.)

"I don't know what that man wanted to achieve," the boy admitted, "besides keeping me distracted while he finished the seal. He didn't ask me anything, and I… don't think he could look into my memories." He offered a tiny shrug to his sensei's expression. "Not that he'd have found anything worth using, anyway."

Minato's right arm slowly crept behind his student's shoulders.

"You're not being subtle, sensei."

The blonde's arm dropped.

Kakashi sighed. "I didn't say you couldn't, sensei."

Minato instantly perked up and rested his arm on the chuunin's shoulders.

Okugi couldn't help staring longingly at both shinobi, though he stopped when Kakashi glared at him. It'd be no use to make him leave the one-armed hug to hurl another kunai at him.

The half-demon reached the fifteen meters mark on the tree – so he did keep some of his own control after all – when Minato spoke up again.

"Yesterday, during the spar… what kenjutsu style were you using?"

Kakashi hummed. "The one I've always used," he answered easily.

Minato didn't seem convinced – rather, he looked more confused. "…Kakashi, who taught you that style?"

A brief hesitation. "…Tou-san did."

"Sakumo-san wasn't in ANBU."

This time Kakashi shuffled out of his sensei's reach to look at him in the eyes. "So?"

"_So_," Minato stressed, though worry was plainly displayed on his face, "why did you use the ANBU standard kenjutsu style?"

Kakashi's shoulders rose defensively. "How do _you_ know it's the ANBU's?"

The blond was getting irritated with his deflecting. "Do _you_?"

The chuunin's chakra bubbled in both annoyance and fear, but he didn't answer.

Minato sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "I'm sorry for pressing," he apologized softly. "I'm just… concerned with every new… development." _I'm worried, I've almost lost you four times these months – let me understand what is happening. _

Okugi made it up another five meters - uh, he was relearning fast - before Kakashi answered.

"Tou-san taught it to me, but said it was Kaa-san's." The chuunin's eyes betrayed no emotion as his face slipped into a blank mask. Minato regretted being the reason of its return. "He told me to use it only with a long katana. I wanted to… surprise you, sensei. With the chakra extension."

The jonin blinked at that then smiled, relieved. "You did, Kakashi-kun," he praised warmly. "Had I had slower reflexes, you'd have win right then and there – I really didn't expect that attack."

Kakashi's eyes slowly lost their blankness as he searched his sensei's gaze. "You didn't?"

"Not one bit," the man confirmed, still grinning. "It's rare that a shinobi decides to shape their chakra around their weapon to create another – given that they can do it, which is a difficult feat in its own right."

"But you can do the Rasengan, sensei… isn't that the highest mastery of chakra shaping?"

Minato chuckled. If Kakashi noticed him scooting closer, he didn't seem opposed to it. "Yeah, kind of, but you see…"

The blond jonin launched into an explanation that Chibi Kakashi listened to with rapt attention. Both inched their way closer to each other as the speech about chakra shaping slipped into changing chakra natures, affinities, strengths and weaknesses, yin and yang jutsu, converging (somehow) into an hypothetical plan to raid an Iwa camp.

(Minato was the only one who could attempt gentle coaxing to melt Kakashi's blank mask – and even then, it could happen only when the two of them were alone. Anyone else came up? The mask did, too. Then Minato-sensei was dead too, and Kakashi's mask had become permanent. He just figured out how to show some degree of emotion so no one realized.)

(Until Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura stubbornly shouldered their way into his lonely life.)

Having now reached the top of the tree running, Okugi started slowly walking up and down its height, thinking.

History was keeping mostly the same for now. If it continued doing so, Kushina would return for the Chuunin Exams and a few days later Jiraya would personally report to the Hokage that Iwa had planted spies among Suna and even Konoha's ranks. Orochimaru and Jiraya would then take the matter into their hands.

But what if the Tsuchikage was too busy making deals with the Raikage to 'awaken' his sleeper agents?

What if the Raikage would try to get Chibi Kakashi himself, given the failure of his strongest warriors?

What if Orochimaru and Jiraya were both busy fighting on Kumo's border and Iwa slipped into Konoha's territory? What if Jiraya never discovered the Kannabi Bridge location?

What if another Uchiha fell into Madara's hands?

Okugi shook those questions out of his head. He had to think clearly.

Their main goal was to kill Madara Uchiha and Black Zetsu and destroy the Gedo Mazou. Until then, Kaguya could still return – unacceptable, for both the time-travellers and Chibi Kakashi.

Between training, adapting, missions, injuries and two kidnappings, the Save The World Plan was hazy at best. There were a lot of loose ends and factors involved to do anything more specific.

After the Kannabi Bridge Mission, Minato would take the mantle of Yondaime Hokage.

Without Madara's involvement, Rin wouldn't have the Sanbi sealed in her and she wouldn't attempt suicide. Even if the Kiri-nin managed, somehow, to bypass two angry Hatakes and one pissed-off bijuu and continue with Madara's plan without the man himself, Isobu would still listen to Kurama. Like Gyuki did, just with less conflict. Probably.

If Rin didn't die (wouldn't have died?), Kakashi would never (wouldn't have ever?) step into the shadows of ANBU with his sensei and teammates right _there_. Minato had proposed him a position in ANBU to keep an eye on him and hope that the distraught teenager would heal with time.

Since past-Kurama wasn't as hostile as ever, he'd probably not go on a rampage to destroy Konoha. The fact that Madara was dead was also a huge change that tipped the scale in Minato and Kushina's favor. That was, if no one pulled a future-Obito and tried to control the past-Kyuubi.

Everything after that was an even more complicated mess.

With Minato as Hokage, Naruto would live showered in praises and weighted with expectations.

With Minato as Hokage, Fugaku would probably voice his displeasure – about what? The Kyuubi Attack never happened…? – instead of organizing a coup d'état.

With Minato as Hokage, Danzo'd better keep his damn hands to himself. The Yellow Flash could show mercy, yes, but he had no reason to close an eye on treacherous activity within the village. Especially if Danzo had plotted to assassinate him, or his students (namely Kakashi).

With Minato as Hokage, what would Orochimaru do?

Continue his experiments? Stop his experiments? Try to steal the hat from Minato's dead hands and _then_ continue his experiments? Spread rumors to get the Yondaime overthrown? Be jealous? Sulk and brood? _Do nothing? _

Would he even become a nukenin? He ran away because the Sandaime couldn't – wouldn't? – stop him.

Kakashi had been in ANBU the first time around and had chased after him. That was how he met Tenzou face to face, discovered that strange smoke Clan living in a tree and eventually formed a bond with the young, impressionable ROOT agent.

(He shoved away the thought of how Tenzou's body has never been recovered before Kaguya had her revenge.)

That bond eventually led to the Sandaime discovering the boy, bringing him under Wolf-taicho's tutelage.

Obito doesn't die, Madara does, Rin doesn't, Minato and Kushina don't – Kakashi isn't in ANBU.

Kakashi doesn't turn to Danzo to betray the Hokage, Kakashi never meets Tenzou.

Tenzou is never recovered, Danzo keeps the young Mokuton user to himself.

Unless Kakashi himself used his future knowledge to break Tenzou out before he fell completely into 'the-mission-is-all-that-matters' mindset of ROOT. There was also no way he could save him before Danzo got to him: he had never known where he was kept first, but Orochimaru had (presumably) already experimented on him. Or maybe he was too busy with the war and the whole Jinchuuriki-Kakashi-has-been-kidnapped debacle.

Either way, Older Kakashi wanted his kouhai back. Nobody should ever grow and stay inside of ROOT, either.

But.

There must be a way to tell the Hokage – Sandaime or Yondaime – that Danzo had kept ROOT active, and that _no, Kakashi isn't insane, yes I'm not lying and I'm not a traitor thank you very much. _

Leaving a trail of clues sounded tempting, but what clues? Danzo might as well bide his time for years on end – he did it before, why not now – and Kakashi would waste the advantage of surprise by planting false evidence that was true only in his past.

Danzo was also a key player in the Orochimaru Escapade – if Orochimaru was so careless as to be discovered experimenting by the Yellow Flash – the Uchiha Massacre – if Fugaku didn't voice his displeasure first – and probably countless other troublesome underhanded plans no one quite managed to pin on him.

How different would the field be with all the chessboard pieces scattered to the winds?

Would Naruto, without Kurama, still be the Child of the Prophecy?

Would the Uchiha, without the misplaced blame of the Kyuubi Attack and Danzo's meddling, still be wiped?

Would Itachi, without the coup d'état looming over Konoha, still be forced to kill his Clan?

Would Sasuke, without his family blood on Itachi's hands, still be the broody teenager on Kakashi's team?

Would Orochimaru, maybe still inside the village, attempt to possess Sasuke's body, if there were still (presumably) other Sharingan running around? Would he even be that dead set on immortality (ha) to do that?

Would Tsunade, without being talked into taking the Godaime's mantle, still return to Konoha? Would she get over her fear of blood and train Sakura? Would Sakura even be the same as the one in his memories?

Would Sasuke run away from Konoha to… to who? Orochimaru was either dead or inside the village, or very deep in hiding.

Each small action piled up, causing ripples that changed how the Timeline would continue. But _killing Madara_, the biggest change they could cause, what kind of ripples would that do? Because of Obito's mere absence, how many people would be saved?

Because the fresh jonin Kakashi Hatake went back for his teammates, how much destruction would be (_have been_) avoided?

That was why Kakashi didn't (couldn't) make plans after Operation Kill Madara.

Every single one of the people he knew (Minato, Jiraya, Tsunade, Orochimaru, Sandaime-sama, Danzo, Naruto, Sasuke, Itachi, Sakura…) was an annoyingly big key player in the Timeline.

A change in one of them and _puff!_ ROOT tries to take over ANBU, Minato rasengans his way through dark politics, Obito takes the mantle of Godaime to change Thursdays into Ramen Days (though Kushina could manipulate Minato into doing just that), Orochimaru's had enough of this shit and Kakashi uses the Jikan no Fujin _again_ because _what the fuck?_

Yeah, not going to happen.

Also, he shouldn't forget Yahiko, Nagato (without Rinnegan, because Madara didn't give it him yet, maybe?) and Konan, and how Akatsuki was supposed to be an organization aiming for peace in Ame before Obito/Madara had to corrupt it.

And the time-travelling team should fix the political situation too, because without the corrupted Akatsuki's bijuu hunt, Gaara as the Naruto-reformed Kazekage and 'Tobi's war declaration, everything was bound to go to hell in a hand basket.

No pressure.

It was troublesome, and not what Kakashi had signed up for. (It was and he was just lying to himself.)

By this point, the tree smelled of his chakra – not unpleasant, but definitely a weird vulpine-canine combination that would raise more than a few Inuzuka eyebrows – and Chibi Kakashi was drawing with a stick his plan of attack on a supposed Kumo convoy (he recognized the formation, at least).

Obito and Rin screamed in the distance and he snapped his head in that direction.

"They're training," the chuunin called, glancing up just once before returning to his plan. "Minami-san is using genjutsu to test them and we'd know if someone else was there."

Okugi still stretched as little of his chakra as he could in that direction.

Obito's chakra was buzzing frantically as if he were fighting, which he probably was in the genjutsu that trapped him. Rin has been caught in a Double Demonic Illusion, in which she recognized one layer of illusion but not the other. It was a tricky one to escape from without the Sharingan.

Anko had just broken free from a genjutsu, but her chakra was still on edge. Minami left her a minute of respite before attempting another illusion on Orochimaru's apprentice.

(There was also the matter that Orochimaru would probably test his Cursed Seal on Anko.)

Minato and Kakashi were mostly tranquil – as tranquil as Minato could be while pointing out where an Exploding Tag would kill more people in a convoy – but Okugi was restless.

There was only one clear goal in their plan; the rest would sort itself out with an enormous amount of luck on their side, but would they really leave the fate of the world in the hands of a bloodthirsty Timeline? Absolutely not.

But what could they do then? He saw only three clear options.

**Option 1:** they spilled the beans to Minato-sensei.

Pros: someone else could vouch for them, help them and kick asses with them. The Hokage had more power than a chuunin-almost-jonin-Jinchuuriki, more influence and authority, not to mention more people willing to follow him to the end of the world.

Cons: Minato might as well lock him in an asylum, have his memories searched and have a heart attack to boot. The shinobi population might not believe him or demand an explanation for his strange orders. Kakashi wouldn't be believed and everything goes to hell once more. Just differently.

**Option 2:** they sent at least three Chakra Clones to do the job for them.

Pros: nobody would see it coming. The budding Akatsuki would find a Konohan ally that could contact Jiraya-sensei for them, Danzo's ROOT would slowly waste away as their members mysteriously disappeared, Minato would get unknown missives by an unknown shinobi that revealed him the future. Possibly. And _maybe_ Gaara didn't have to be so alone, if he could help it.

Cons: if someone managed to prove it was him, or a Konohan in general, Konoha would stew in hot international waters for a long time. Minato could think the unknown shinobi was one of the associates of the Masked Man who sealed Kurama in his student. There was also the matter of how much those Chakra Clones would last, and how the untainted Akatsuki could contact him if the bunshin was to disappear.

**Option 3:** Kakashi and Okugi parted ways temporarily to cover more ground.

Pros: Kakashi and Kurama deal with the Inside Problems – aka Danzo, part of ROOT, possibly Orochimaru, some douchebag Uchiha – and help Minato-sensei, Rin, Obito, Kushina, Naruto, Sasuke, Itachi, Tenzou and Sakura. Okugi deals with the Outside Problems – aka other part of ROOT, underhanded plots to cause friction between villages, possibly Orochimaru – and help the original Akatsuki, Tenzou if he can help it, Gaara, Tsunade, Jiraya if he took to travelling again, the general political situation.

Cons: being separated didn't sit well with him. After Madara's real death, the Timeline would at least redouble its efforts in killing them and if one of them were to actually die, namely Okugi... how long before everyone knows? How long before the Fourth Shinobi War starts all the same and the villages tear each other apart? It's better to face the unknown together as one.

Okugi was tempted to bash his head on the tree and sleep until everything was sorted out.

When Kurama woke, they'd better have a long discussion about the outline of a plan. There was no way he'd sleep again without a reassurance – however fragile it might be – that it was _them_ controlling the flow, not the other way around.

* * *

**Crap, this Chapter is longer than the "Konoha vs Iwa" one! Nearly 8000 words! D:**

**So. I made everything up for the Genjutsu explanation. Minami's sensei was/is an Uchiha, and s/he described what the Sharingan did about Genjutsu. I hope it wasn't too tedious ':)**

**Minato's prying. He's worried, and he has questions. **

**Mentions of Kakashi's ANBU mother. Older Kakashi had to have heard about her in ANBU at some point, at least. Minato knows she was ANBU, so doesn't question further his student - since it also made him close into himself once more. **

**Older Kakashi/Okugi's thinking is as logical as I could make it. Everything up to the Kannabi Bridge mission is almost set in stone, but not quite. If Madara and Black Zetsu die, it'd probably lead to a better future.**

**But there are lots of loose ends and loose cannons, which Kakashi can't help but notice. He lived during that time, recorded it with the Sharingan and all that jazz. **

**The question of Orochimaru is a Mess. Kakashi and Kurama know he can turn on Konoha. But will he? Did they change enough? What would be the determinant change the makes Orochimaru either a bat-shit crazy nukenin or keeps him loyal to Konoha?**

**Danzo, at least, is a clear target. That much I can appreciate. ;)**

**Also, Minato Namikaze as Hokage. I hope you believe me when I say it's another Mess on its own. **

**(See, this is why I should get someone to brainstorm with. Just PM me/review with ideas not to get stuck in my own convoluted musings. D:)**

**Beware of the Kitsune's rage!**

**Shiiroi Kitsune21 **


	37. Chapter 36: Chuunin Exams, Begin!

**Still Alive! :D**

**Since I'm very bad at catching up to my school subjects – holiday work, ugh – there you have another Chapter! **

**Thanks to those 414 souls who fav'ed and 527 who followed, not to mention all you faithful ones who showered me with 511 reviews! 511! Sweet cookies of heaven, so many people! Thank you for your silent and not-silent support! ;D**

**Thanks to Guest 1, Rika24, Bindi-fox (you'd better feel spoilt! XD), KaiaRenkin, anaisonfire, AngelicRiver, cloystreng, VampireDoll666, like-a-freaking-fangirl, Guest 2, NarutoXHonoka, time2read, Angel Hatake, Sailor Pandabear, Shadow-Shinobi666, Ominous Rain, yonomori and taran taran for all your reviews and help with my poor decisions!**

**Rika24: since Kurama could, I thought Okugi could as well! About the options of Future Plot-twisting, Okugi's chakra control is genin level now because he's just 'born', but he's training to get himself back to jonin level! ;) **

**Bindi-fox: About Orochimaru… *innocent whistling* I'll see what I can do for more Minato/Okugi fluff… XD**

**VampireDoll666: That was the tactic used in "Changing What Is To Come" (that has been so evilly discontinued! D:) but this time there are no 'visions' or timey wimey stuff to the Hokage's knowledge, so Kakashi should edge his way closer to Orochimaru by himself… I don't think Danzo will give up overpowered Mokuton children to manipulate, even with Orochimaru's absence… and I really need to get over Kannabi Bridge, since I'm planning too far ahead XD**

**NarutoxHonoka: As soon as I had published the Chapter I had thought "Shit, ****_Kabuto_****", I kid you not! But… with Orochimaru mostly loyal to Konoha or dead or something… he won't get a chance to recruit him, unless Danzo somehow gets him and Orochimaru steals him. Hiruko got so powerful only because of the Chimera jutsu – I think I remember…? – so… there are too many possibilities for me to play with! And all of them are in the future! D:**

**Time2read: that's an interesting idea, but… why should Jiraya believe him more than, say, Minato? Jiraya has never been in ANBU as far as we know (thus no ANBU tactics), Okugi HAS NO SHARINGAN since it wasn't part of his original chakra, I doubt Okugi's disappearance and 'Jiraya's son's appearance would be dismissed as coincidences, if Jiraya had 'trained' Okugi to contain the Kyuubi's chakra why hadn't he brought him to Konoha and why Kushina hadn't said anything? So yeah – in another story, with a different background or something, it might work, but not here. Thank you for writing it down all the same ;)**

**Ominous Rain: as soon as he can get his chakra control back, I think Henge will be his favourite jutsu XD**

**(Read-Sleep-Routine: ...yeah... sorry about the OOCness. I'll see if I can fix the earlier Chapters... at some point... ):)**

**Warning for... some possible slight OOCness. I can't quite pin down Rin's character: she's quiet and kind, but to be a shinobi she's got to have a steel backbone...**

**Ehm. Here the Chapter is! :D**

* * *

**Chapter 36: Chuunin Exams, Begin!**

_Four days before the Exams_

Minato supposed he couldn't be blamed for keeping track of his students. Ten times a day. Both day and night, actually. He also may have set off one of Kakashi's surprisingly jonin-level traps during one of his night trips.

His quiet "Shit!" may or may not have woken Kakashi up.

In Minato's defense, he hadn't expected his student to study borrowed books about Advanced Fuinjutsu already. He couldn't exactly blame him for wanting to learn more about _that_. Shame that it didn't make his slightly scorched hair any easier to hide.

Okugi's laughter – if that irritating mix of barks and whines could be called that – followed him to the Uchiha Compound.

Obito drooled peacefully in his bed, unaware of the whispers still circulating about his black sheep status.

A few arrogant Uchiha jonin may or may not have found their normally spotless house in disarray, like a man-sized hurricane had just had made its way through their rooms and rearranged several pieces of furniture into the words "always watching".

If asked, Sarune and Minami Fuuma would confirm Minato was with them discussing about his genin's training that night.

Rin and Anko talked about poisonous flowers they could find on Konohan ground before they went to their own beds to sleep.

Minato might be slightly warier of girls with colourful bouquets in hand.

* * *

_Three days before the Exams_

Obito, Rin and Anko wanted to fight against either Minato-sensei or Kakashi.

Knowing that the chuunin would skip out saying, "Okugi needs training", that devious half-demon trotted away saying "Enjoy your training, Chibi!" and sped up when Kakashi tried to pin him down. Minato had trouble sensing the 'summon's chakra signature after three seconds and a half.

At the four seconds mark, his cute little student sighed quite heavily for a boy his size.

The genin had remained quite stunned that Okugi could speak – Obito was quite loud about that – but accepted Minato's explanation that most of the summons could. "Like that frog I summoned after… last mission," he said, and they nodded at that.

Kakashi was eventually roped into testing the chuunin wannabes, because Minato had the duty to watch their teamwork on another opponent rather than himself. His silver-haired student didn't seem entirely convinced, but settled into a fighting stance nonetheless.

Within five seconds into the fight, Minato said, "Kakashi, let them create a plan."

"Yeah, you jerk," Obito mumbled, since his face was plastered to the ground by the chuunin's foot.

Kakashi stared at his sensei, then sighed and let his teammate get up and flee.

Three seconds later, Minato added, "Leave them four minutes."

"Yes, sensei."

In the awkwardly silent two hundred forty seconds that followed, the blond jonin was sure Kakashi had mentally mapped the entire training ground, planned his revenge on Okugi, had mental tea with the Kyuubi and imagined at least a hundred ways to kick the genin's collective asses.

The chuunin took to the trees the _instant_ the accorded four minutes ran out.

To the genin's favor, nobody screamed in the five seconds that followed.

Kakashi was obviously putting several limits to the techniques he could use, Minato noted: no chakra claws, no Katon, no exploding tags (thank Kami for that) and no depowered assassination jutsu. Or maybe that was just the Yellow Flash comparing Kakashi's efforts when fighting _him_ and when fighting his genin teammates.

He also couldn't help but notice that his silver-haired student was cutting his speed in half, if not more, to give his teammates a chance to actually show what they could do. Minato was a very proud sensei.

Obito and Anko had some interesting Katon combinations, but Kakashi's Doton was enough to block them.

Rin tried to use her Suiton to cover their brief retreats, but with Kakashi's Raiton it was a plain Bad Idea.

Kunai, shuriken, ninja wires, senbon and just about any weapon the kids could throw at each other littered the trees and the ground. Some were scorched, others soaked, others half-buried in earth or ended up in the nearest lake.

"I don't see," Kakashi mildly began as he fended off both kunoichi at once, "how you can lower yourself to their level, sensei."

Obito choked on his own Great Fireball, Rin hesitated in her attack and Anko scowled.

"Who do you think you are, you jerk?" the Uchiha shouted.

"Kakashi Hatake, chuunin of Konohagakure-"

"Katon: Dragon's breath!"

"-under Namikaze Minato's tutelage-"

"Katon: Phoenix Flowers!"

"-placed in Team 7 with Obito crybaby Uchiha-"

"AAAAARGH!" Obito threw himself at the purposefully taunting Hatake, two kunai in his hands.

Kakashi tripped him, sat on him and created a Shadow Clone to subdue the other two kunoichi. He had had enough of holding back, apparently.

The fight ended after another five seconds.

"…next time we spar with you, Minato-san," Anko stated as her right arm was twisted behind her back.

At least Kakashi was considerate enough not to trap her left arm or sit on Rin, Minato supposed, although he didn't show the same care with a furious Obito.

* * *

_Two days before the Exams_

"The Chuunin Exams won't test only your fighting abilities," Minato said, "but also your information gathering skills, not to mention tracking skills. If you can avoid conflict by obtaining information, that makes you an even better ninja."

"I'll be the best at getting information!" Obito was loud, as usual. Then he became uncertain. "But, uh, why aren't we on a training ground? And where is Bakakashi?"

Minato chuckled. "That's going to be your exercise for today."

Silence.

"Uh, sensei?" Rin hesitated in her question, though he hummed at her. "Are we going to try _tracking_ _Kakashi-kun?_"

"That's the last part, Rin-chan. First you have to narrow your search to a smaller area, then you start tracking him." Obito looked on the verge to shout something. "Don't worry, I told him not to move until you find him – he won't run away or attack you, which… doesn't make it easier, since he can focus on hiding instead of moving, but you won't be attacked. It's an advantage."

Obito, Anko and Rin didn't look convinced, but started their hunt barely two seconds later.

Anko asked some of the jonin who owed Orochimaru something, then made her way to the older population, where she bumped into Obito.

Obito asked the old ladies he helped and Team Fuuyuki. They had no clue, but decided to help all the same. Fuuyuki told them it was a useful exercise, so Kurenai, Asuma and Raido joined their search to find Kakashi.

Rin asked Sarune, Minami, some of the iryo-nin she exercised with and Team Jiyo.

Gai was enthusiastic to help, and even Jiyo-sensei had to give in to his student's fervent speech. That was how Ebisu, Genma and Gai allied with Obito, Rin, Anko, Kurenai, Asuma and Raido to find Kakashi.

They eventually combined all their strengths to narrow their search to Training Ground 1. Gai had been most helpful in tracking the chuunin down, much to their confusion and Ebisu and Genma's exasperation.

While Minato admired Kakashi's ability to cover chakra reserves of his size inside the area, he didn't appreciate it when he thought it funny to create _five_ Shadow Clones that scattered to the winds. Especially since the genin had split in five to grab him, because Minato had expressively told him not to move.

When the kids eventually found out they were all clones and Kakashi was actually meditating upside down a tree branch, he blinked innocently at them. Minato just glared harder.

"Sensei, you said I couldn't move and _I_ didn't. My clones did."

Minato was both impressed and unimpressed.

* * *

_One day before the Exams_

The only explanation for the mass picnic inside Training Ground 20, Minato mused, was that the three genin teams had organized it after having found Kakashi.

Kurenai, Asuma and Raido had brought vegetables, a grill and lots of meat respectively.

Ebisu and Genma had probably taken down a tree to make that many roasting sticks. They had many forks and knives as well.

Gai had brought a large pot of "Youthful Curry from that kind lady down the Road of Life" along with a few dishes and spoons. Minato didn't think the curry's red glow was normal.

Rin and Anko had brought enough dango to give them diabetes by _looking_ at them.

Obito and, to his surprise, Kakashi and Okugi had brought four pots full of Ichiraku Ramen and enough bowls and chopsticks for everyone.

Minato was a very proud sensei, indeed. He'd have appreciated it more if the other two jonin hadn't dumped the nine kids into his hands without saying more than "important meeting", but oh well.

At the end of that quickly arranged buffet, Gai had dragged Kakashi into yet another challenge: a taijutsu-only spar while blindfolded. While every genin leaned into Okugi's white fur –he didn't seem to mind – they placed _bets_.

Obito, Rin and Anko immediately shouted Kakashi would win.

Asuma, Genma, Raido and Kurenai insisted Gai had come a long way in taijutsu, while Kakashi was specializing in weapon wielding and ninjutsu.

Ebisu just rolled his eyes and refused to take part in that bet.

Everyone else turned to hear who would win in Minato's opinion, but he just shrugged. Kakashi was advantaged because of the bijuu: it wasn't fair pitting a chuunin-wannabe against _him_.

"You know I can hear and smell where you are, right?" Kakashi had asked Gai.

The genin just flashed him a bright grin and gave him a thumbs up. "Then I shall try hearing you as well, my Eternal Rival! If I can't, I shall run two hundred laps around Konoha _on my hands!_"

Kakashi sighed and covered his eyes with his hitai-ate.

Minato had the feeling Kakashi was making his steps extra-light just to spite his self-proclaimed 'Eternal Rival'. He scraped his feet on tree branches and rustled leaves to lead Gai on a wild goose chase, while he flashed away in the blink of an eye.

Obito, Rin and Anko divided equally their prize consisting of sweets, chips, crayons – Raido wouldn't tell them what he was doing with them – and the last dango sticks.

Gai seemed to have fun destroying trees in the training ground, at least, before he took off running on his hands to begin his self-imposed punishment.

* * *

"Obito!"

The boy hastily turned to his crush. "Eh?"

Rin leveled a glare at him. "Stop staring at Kakashi-kun and pretending you're _not!_"

Obito cringed. "But Rin… he's _weird_ with the chuunin jacket!" he murmured.

Rin sighed in her hand. It _was_ unusual to see their teammate in his slightly oversized chuunin jacket, but it was not a good reason to stare at him like he had grown two heads! The problem was, she couldn't tell everybody to stop whispering about him and _staring_.

Twenty-four genin teams – without counting Team Minato, Fuuyuki and Jiyo – were whispering about him, seated at the separated round tables in an Academy room. It was one of the biggest she had seen, with a large blackboard covering the entire wall on the opposite side of the double doors. There were wide windows on the doors' left that provided way more illumination than they needed.

After the last team had arrived, sixteen chuunin had stepped through a door in front of him and had taken position around the room. Kakashi was with them, though Okugi was nowhere to be seen.

"Isn't he…?"

"The Hatake?"

"He's short."

"Hadn't he been kidnapped?"

"Hokage-sama had ordered us to get him, hadn't he?"

"At least uncle Ryoko came back…"

"Where is his strange summon?"

Rin was ready to slam their heads on the tables. Anko seemed to share a similar sentiment, if the way she gripped the scroll in her hand enough of a clue. Nobody told them what it was for, but they were ordered not to open it before the proctor said so. Obito was busy staring, and Kakashi was busy ignoring everyone around him.

Even the other _chuunin_ were staring at him!

The jonin proctor finally graced them of his presence, striding to the larger desk in front of the room's blackboard.

"I am Shikayu Nara, proctor of this year's first Chuunin Exam. It's all straightforward, I assure you – we don't have time to dawdle, so I'm making this short." The tall man turned to the blackboard with chalk in hand and quickly drew a… camp, Rin guessed, near a river and a forest. He drew fifteen dots in three different colors: two were red, seven were blue and the other six were green.

He then drew two violet dots, one near the red dots and the other surrounded by two green and blue lines.

"This is an enemy camp," Shikayu announced, "two jonin, seven chuunin and six genin. The genin always patrol in duos the green line, while the chuunin patrol the blue perimeter alone. It takes them twenty minutes to complete their routes; the genin begin from the southwestern corner, the chuunin begin from the northeastern one. Your objective is to get both scrolls undamaged," he pointed the violet dots, "without dying first."

"Open the scroll you've been given and use it to lay out a plan. Anyone caught copying or meddling with the others' plans will be warned once; the second time you're caught, your whole team is out. You have twenty minutes from now."

Everyone got to work.

Rin tuned out the others' murmurs and occasional exclamations, biting her lip.

"We can use the river to hide," Obito suggested immediately, "and wait for the genin patrol to pass, then we sneak in, get the scrolls and dive back. Simple, right?"

Anko glared at him. "And risk soaking the scrolls?"

"It isn't like we can flee through the forest on the _other_ side of the camp," he muttered.

"There is also the matter of the two jonin," added Rin from the side. "They're near this scroll, in the middle of the camp. Shikayu-san didn't say they'd move from there, but he didn't say they wouldn't, either. If they find us, it's over."

Obito nodded. "We need to get around them."

"And around the patrols."

"I know." The Uchiha hummed.

"Technically, we should be able to get through the genin patrol without trouble."

Anko frowned at Rin's statement. "We can't start a fight, though – the jonin would be on us in an instant. If we had another jonin on our side we could risk it, but it's just the three of us. Can you suppress your chakra?"

Obito puffed his chest. "Of course we can!"

Rin nodded at them, though she was still frowning. "We can get past the chuunin with luck on our side, but we don't know if they're sensor-nin or have set traps or seals around the scrolls."

"They surely did."

The three genin stared at the map drawn on their scroll. Rin fiddled with the ink brush in her hand.

"Yamanaka-san," Kakashi's voice rang out, "if you would please leave Namiashi-san's body…"

Someone cursed. Raido offered a quick "thanks Kakashi" before returning to planning under his teammates' surprised stares.

The whispering picked up again, even among the chuunin who were supposed to watch over them.

"How…?"

"Did he just tell apart the two…?"

"That kid sure is something else…"

"He must've known how that genin behaves…"

Obito adjusted briefly his goggles. He ignored the whispers after Rin shot him a warning look. "Maybe Rin can go from the river to the nearest scroll?" he suggested, pointing the violet dot near the supposed jonin.

"I'd have a little advantage with my Suiton, but I'm not strong enough to best a jonin, much less two," the girl pointed out.

"Maybe Obito and I set part of the forest on fire, we all sneak in, get the scrolls and leave through here," offered Anko as she pointed the eastern side of the camp, opposite of the forest.

Rin frowned further. "And if they know it's a diversion?"

Anko pursed her lips. "We'll just have to wing it. If push comes to shove, though… one of us will have to stay behind." _And sacrifice their lives for the mission._

"No way we're leaving anyone behind!" Obito was immediately shushed by both kunoichi. "It's- I'm not leaving you behind for two damn _scrolls_!"

Rin looked into his eyes. "We won't, Obito."

The Uchiha relaxed slightly. "Still, how do we get around the jonin?"

"We… can attempt a disguise, I guess."

"A disguise?" Rin whispered at the other kunoichi.

The violet-haired genin nodded. "We can take out both patrols and replace them, we just have to be quick. If we stay far enough, a Henge will fool the other genin. Maybe even the chuunin. Then we snatch the scrolls and…" she frowned at the map. "Kai!"

The enemy camp now revealed a third, red line around its perimeter.

"Well, shit."

"Obito!" Rin scolded as she swatted her teammate's skull.

Anko smirked, but the sentiment didn't reach her eyes. "Everything just got way more complicated," she droned wryly.

(Just six minutes into the test and three genin teams were already out, Rin noted.)

In the next four minutes, Team Minato tossed around some ideas for a solid plan, but there were lots of unknown details that could make the difference between a successful mission and a horribly failed one. Were there sensor-nin? Were all of the enemy shinobi awake at the same time? Which ninjutsu were they more likely to use? Were there any traps? If so, were they chuunin-level or higher?

It was incredibly frustrating.

They had exhausted their ideas, so Anko took out a small gray snake from a pocket of her beige coat.

She smirked at Obito and Rin's slack-jawed faces. "Chiisai is good at hiding," she whispered and let her small snake slither among the other genin.

Until Chiisai – whom Anko seemed to trust immensely – returned with the other genin's ideas, Team Minato worked on their disguise plan.

Obito and Rin take out the genin patrol when it reaches the northern part of the camp, where the river is closest and can hide their traces. Then they take their place and use a Henge if they are too different. They follow their supposed route and plant a trap where the their path crosses the chuunin's – it will hopefully be enough to knock him/her out, and if it isn't the two disguised genin can lure the chuunin to Anko's position on the forest edge and deal with him/her there.

Anko takes his or her place. Since the blue route is the closest to the scroll, she goes to retrieve it. The other enemy shinobi will hopefully be either too far or too relaxed to suspect anything is wrong. Even if there are traps, the three Konoha genin are confident they can recognize one – especially after seeing Kakashi's more creative ones. Anko will leave her scroll in Chiisai's care, and the small snake will make its way outside the camp.

The second scroll is the trickiest. Obito can light the camp on fire and the kunoichi can get the last scroll in the confusion, but then every enemy will be on high alert and chase them down. They're fast, but not as fast as the jonin. That's the part of the plan they haven't figured out how to solve safely.

They can try to rely on their Henge and acting skills and talk their way into getting the scroll. But surely, a jonin worth their salt can tell when someone is using a Henge, and they'll be in deep trouble. They can rig a trap two hundred meters into the forest so that a couple Exploding Tags blow up after fifteen minutes (courtesy of Kakashi's genius mind), and let that distract everyone. But if they take three shinobi's places, they'll be expected to investigate…

If only they knew the Shadow Clone jutsu…

Or maybe they didn't have to.

The genin most similar to one of the enemies – and thus not needing a Henge – could tell them his other teammate had left in the direction of the traps as they explode. At least one Konohan would be inside the camp while the enemies would investigate in the forest.

But one of them will still be with the enemy, unless the jonin order everyone else to scatter and find the intruders. Which leaves them with very few escape routes – the river being their best bet.

Anko assured her teammates she could summon Chiisai, so even if they were too far from each other they would still retrieve the first scroll _mostly_ undamaged.

Said snake returned to his mistress and huddled in Anko's hands to hiss his findings.

"Kurenai is using genjutsu to get everyone through the camp," the kunoichi relayed quietly. She shook her head. "We don't have that kind of mastery. Everyone else is playing on their clan's jutsu or panicking 'cause they don't know what to do."

Obito shrugged, a smile on his face. "Doesn't matter, Anko – we already have a plan!"

"Even if it's not the safest," Rin softly added, "it's the best we can do."

Anko nodded, though still unsure, and let the older kunoichi write their plan down.

"Time's up!"

The remaining twenty genin teams turned to the stone-faced Nara.

"Now that the first part of this exam is complete," he ignored the panicked whispers of '_first part?', _"you can begin the second."

Ten chuunin left their positions to snatch up a genin per team, remaining silent even when the younger shinobi started shouting.

"Oi…!"

"Why _you_…!"

"I demand an explanation!"

"Hey!" It was a random chuunin who grabbed Obito's arm, leading him away kicking and almost screaming.

Shikayu just smirked, the only flicker of emotion they have seen on his face. It wasn't a good sign.

He drew an orange dot in the southern part of the camp. "Due to unfortunate circumstances, one of your teammates has been captured before you could begin the mission. You need to change your plans to complete it. You have five minutes from now."

* * *

Some of the remaining genin screamed, others cursed.

Kakashi inwardly rolled his eyes. If they couldn't change their plans and there was no jonin in sight, they had no right to become chuunin. Sure, jonin usually led every mission, but if they were down the chuunin were the next in charge.

(The kidnapped-comrade situation also struck a bit too close home. The scrolls were also enough out of the southern camp that any attempts to get their teammate back would have to be intentional, not the 'I'll just swing by when I get close enough' kind.)

Rin and Anko began to change their plans immediately, the younger kunoichi gesturing and pointing various points of the map as the soon-to-be medic nodded and took notes. They seemed especially focused on where Obito was now supposed to be.

Kurenai and Asuma didn't seem to have many problems adapting their original plan to the new situation, but a missing teammate was a huge gap in a three-man team. Kakashi – the older one, the jonin and ANBU captain and Commander who led more teams than he could possibly remember – knew that much.

Poor Ebisu was stuck with a shouting Gai. Without Genma to act as buffer, Ebisu was sure to have a nervous breakdown. Kakashi almost felt sorry for the genin.

Okugi, on the other hand, was probably laughing himself sick at his situation – if the constant tugging in their telepathic link was anything to go by.

After a few tries, they had finally figured out how to communicate from medium distances without asking Kurama. The bijuu had barely replenished one tail, so he was still sleeping and gathering chakra despite what he had said a week before. His reaction had been bad enough when the Sandaime wanted to speak with him: they hadn't wanted to risk a much more furious Kyuubi roaring in their heads.

One of the ANBU trailing him was very nervous, but Kakashi saw no need to alert him of the telepathic link.

"Team Gozu, you're out!" the young Hatake called. The three genin turned to him, irate. "Thank Kencho-san for that." He had weaved a pathetic genjutsu before peeking on another team's plan – so pathetic even a fresh genin could have seen through it.

"I wasn't spying!" Kencho shouted, raising from his seat. He must've been fourteen at least, yet he behaved worse than his younger comrades. "You're so eager to see everyone fail that you make up excuses-"

His other teammate sighed and muttered under his breath. Kakashi didn't need sensing his chakra to know he was angry at his poor excuse of a comrade – not that he blamed him.

"Kencho-san, if you don't leave the room you'll be escorted outside."

The genin bristled at his flat tone. "You _brat!_" He spat, tensing up as if preparing to attack him. The two chuunin by Kakashi's side narrowed their eyes at the kid. "Do you have any idea-"

His words were cut off by Shikayu's swift kick to his abdomen, which sent him flying through the double doors leading outside the room. The twenty genin in the hallway were speechless, as were the ones inside. Kakashi inwardly applauded the proctor for his efficient action.

"You have one minute left."

The whispering inside the room picked up once more.

"That was unexpected."

_'__You saw that?'_ Kakashi couldn't help the surprise from seeping into their link.

"I can hear your commentary. Very entertaining, if I say so myself. Delightful." His older self was either laughing at him or sarcastically provoking him to 'lighten him up'. "So, yeah, I can guess what you're looking at by reading your thoughts when we're linked. You're very amusing, Chibi."

_'__Stop calling me that.'_

"You're still tiny compared to me." Now Kakashi was sure he was laughing at him. It didn't mean anything that he and his teammates could ride on Okugi's back with room to spare – he wasn't _that_ little.

_'__I hate you.'_

"You love me, there's a difference."

The chuunin almost sighed in his hand. He was almost positive Okugi had a severe case of cabin fever, but it didn't make his attitude any less annoying to bear.

It was useful only when it distracted him enough from dark thoughts and visions – like shinobi falling one by one under a bloody moon, their screams slowly dying out as the Tree's roots wrapped around them, hungry, draining them of their life-

"Time's up!"

Every genin stopped working on their scroll, and Kakashi hid his trembling hands behind his back.

"The first part of the Chuunin Exams is finished!" Shikayu announced. The shinobi out of the room peeked inside. "I hope you managed to get your teammates back – it'd be a shame if they were to give away relevant intel or die because of your inaction."

Four genin froze. Kakashi knew that six more were guilty of abandoning their friends.

"After all, captured shinobi can't complete their missions and Konoha-nin should be able to trust their teammates to watch their back." Shikayu's eyes narrowed. "Our only enemies should be those who hadn't sworn loyalty to Konoha, don't you think?"

Some of the genin squirmed, others nodded.

"This afternoon your sensei will be notified if you've passed this exam. Now leave this room and don't waste energy training today – tomorrow you'll need every drop of it. _If_ you pass."

Some of the chuunin herded the genin out of the building, while others preferred a quick Shunshin to avoid the children. Shikayu had left remarkably fast for a Nara.

Obito, Rin and Anko turned to their teammate, smiling. Their chakra buzzed in relief and anxiety at the same time, which was both strange and unexpected. They waited for him to reach them and walk out of the building together.

* * *

Minato dragged his three genin and one chuunin to Ichiraku Ramen.

When he said it was his treat, Obito had instantly agreed and burst into a fervent speech that made Anko accept. Rin did as well and thanked her sensei for the offer. Kakashi looked about to refuse but seemed to think better of it and agreed to the team lunch.

Minato beamed at the four of them.

"So, how did it go?"

Obito's eyebrow twitched. "We had a plan, and they thought to _fu_-"

Anko kicked his shin from her stool. She looked wholly unrepentant at his pained howl, while a frown crossed the jonin's features. Obito thought it best to leave the explanation to Rin, who sighed.

"We managed to create a plan so we could get the scrolls," she said, "and then Anko-chan and I had to change it in five minutes-"

"A _fourth_ of the original time!" The younger kunoichi added as she slurped down her ramen.

"-because they had taken Obito away." Rin was gripping her chopsticks too tightly to be considered calm.

Minato chuckled, though his expression was vaguely sympathetic. "I'm sure you did fine – after your last spar with Kakashi-kun, I'd be shocked if you didn't pass."

"…What?"

"Quick planning is an important skill to have," Minato answered to Obito's dubious expression, "and all shinobi should be able to do it, especially when all odds are stacked against us – whether they're lesser numbers, strength or a field disadvantage. A clever plan is nothing if it can't be executed, but an adaptable plan…"

"Sensei, they had to plan to get _me _back!" Obito almost shouted. "When there were two _jonin_ around!"

Kakashi thought it best not to say that, technically, getting him back would (should) be considered an afterthought if they followed the Shinobi Rules.

"And _we did it!_" Anko rivaled his tone by shrieking in his ear, making more than a few heads turn in their direction. She hit his shoulder with a light punch, grinning. "The plan is almost the same, really! Rin and I dump the patrol in the river, I get a disguise, give Chiisai the scroll, bullshit my way to your position and we get together the second scroll!" Her grin stretched and she poked him in the ribs. "Unless you think Rin-chan can't rig the timed traps?"

Obito became a human tomato. "Uh, I… no, of course not!"

"You'd better not," huffed Rin.

Their raven-haired teammate buried his face in his ramen with a 'meep'.

Orochimaru's apprentice nodded to herself, satisfied for all of three seconds before she remembered something else. She turned to Minato with a frown. "Minato-san, how will our plan get evaluated? They don't know us or our skills and they can't ask you or Orochimaru-sensei."

Kakashi was curious to hear it as well. The first exam always threw the genin for a loop, but it has never been like that – it's always been a quiz with a last, dreaded question that made many kids give up out of sheer nerves. But it always ended quickly.

This test, on the other hand, required more work and time on the examiner's side.

Kakashi – Okugi, actually – was also sure that he'd never known of a Nara made proctor in wartime.

Minato chuckled, though he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I suppose you didn't ask yourselves why Fuuyuki-san and Jiyo-san weren't there yesterday?"

Both Obito and Rin shot him a dubious look.

"Were we supposed to?" Anko asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, but that's not the point." He chuckled again. "They were called to meet with Shikayu-san and a few other chuunin. No, Kakashi wasn't among them."

Kakashi shrugged to his teammates' looks.

"They had a discussion about your skills and limits," the blond jonin continued, "so they know if you have what it takes to back up your plan. I had my meeting while you were taking the exam, along with a few other jonin-sensei who got home late. The decision to get your teammate back or not and _how_ you go about it is also relevant, as you've heard at the end."

"There's someone who'd _leave_ their _friends_?!"

Kakashi had to shut Obito up with a red-eyed glare before the civilian rumor-mill let slip anything of relevance – namely, the White Fang's mission and his decision not to leave his comrades. Rin and Anko were too busy conveying the same question with their eyes.

Minato nodded gravely. "You've planned an infiltration mission – meaning, no one should realize something is wrong until you're well on your way back to Konoha. If you hadn't done anything about Obito, he'd still be in enemy hands." His gaze narrowed as he looked at each genin. "And you already know the implications of that."

High probability of torture. Possible information leak. One member short of manpower.

(Drowning guilt.)

Kakashi felt his teammates' eyes on him for a second before they nodded at Minato-sensei.

The chuunin didn't think it was a good idea to tell them some of the plans he had heard. Or tell them that a kidnapped teammate could easily be used to lure any stray comrades. Or talk in general, since he was trying to direct his attention to what Okugi was saying.

"I guess we can try to keep Orochimaru in," he was muttering, though his reluctance to deal with the Sannin was mostly due to his future than anything he had done until now. "If we get closer to Anko, it's almost granted Orochimaru will talk to us instead of experimenting or lurking in the shadows. He also has less chances of dealing with Danzo if he has to deal with us."

Minato was explaining something about Copy-Paste Genjutsu. Older Kakashi had memories and experience about those – basically, if you knew enough about how a person acted, you could weave an illusion that looked like said person. It was a glorified offshoot of the Demonic Illusions that was just a little more believable and complex than normal True World Genjutsu. If someone was talented enough, the Copy-Paste Genjutsu could act on its own by following what the caster knew of the copied person.

Kakashi let the words wash over him, though he still pretended to be paying attention. Minato might have noticed if he were looking at him. Maybe.

"But there still are periods of time where ROOT shinobi can drop by with an invitation," Okugi kept speculating, like he had done every other day of the week, "unless we could get an invitation to ROOT ourselves, and then spill the beans to Minato-sensei about that mad warmonger mummy with an eye fetish."

_'__Are you sure Kurama won't just raze everything to the ground if we see Danzo?' _He asked dubiously. After all, this was Danzo – _wanted the Sandaime's head, was almost Rokudaime, had a thing for making children kill their closest friend_ – they were talking about.

After the Kannabi Bridge Mission, the three of them would have to make plans to steer history in the right direction, contingency plans if the Timeline kept throwing shit at them and contingency plans of the contingency plans if everything went to hell. _Thinking_ about it made Chibi Kakashi anxious, and robbed Older Kakashi of the sleep he needed.

Dealing with _Danzo_ on top of that was just asking for a bijuu rampage.

If someone wanted to stop a rampaging Kurama and a furious future Commander of the Allied Shinobi Army in the body of an equally-pissed off Kakashi Hatake, they were welcome to try, because he surely would not. Not when he wanted the same bloody end for the Elder.

They must be rubbing off him.

"…Point," the now half-demon admitted. His chakra buzzed as he probably attempted water-walking. "Maybe we can break Tenzou out. If he was ten and in ROOT when I was fourteen and in ANBU, now he'd be around seven-ish…?"

_'__We can't just break him out without causing political unrest - which Konoha doesn't need at all right now.' _Though he couldn't help but feel some sort of _friendship_ for this kid he had never met, and wanted to feel its full rush as his older self had. _'We don't even know if he's in there yet.'_

"If he was ten, loyal, could use Mokuton and Danzo sent him against _Sandaime-sama_, he had to have been training for at least three years." Oh, the power of logic. "Or Danzo expected him to fail and die, which is highly unlikely."

_'__Whatever we do, we're in deep trouble.'_

"Yep, in short."

_'__And we should wait until after Madara is dead for good.'_

"I'd have said 'until we've kicked Madara's ass sky-high', but I agree." Okugi conveyed the clear image of a pout. "Though I don't like it."

"-kashi? Oi, Bakakashi!"

He swatted Obito's hand from his face. The Uchiha lost his balance and fell into a concerned Minato's lap, since Kakashi had taken a seat by his sensei's left while everyone was on his right. "What?"

"You were out of it!" Obito accused.

"And you're never out of it!" Anko added from further down the counter.

Rin nodded.

Teuchi was putting away the money Minato-sensei had given him and cleaning the empty bowls. Everyone had finished eating.

"I was _thinking_." It wasn't a lie, per se. "What were you asking me?"

Minato was probably adding another point to his 'Need-To-Ask-Kakashi' list. Oh joy. "Obito was asking both of us what they should expect in their second exam," he said before he turned to the genin. "In quality of jonin sensei, I'm not allowed to tell you anything."

"EEEEEH?!"

Rin stared at him. "Why not, Minato-sensei?"

The blond was scratching the back of his head. "I'm not supposed to give you any kind of advantage over the other genin – Hokage-sama's orders. I can only tell you to bring lots of weapons and prepare yourselves as you think it best."

Anko scowled – pouted, really. "…Fine. Kakashi?"

Everyone turned to him. They didn't stop staring at him even when they started strolling through the village's not-yet-busy streets. Just about everybody else was still on lunch break, after all.

He sighed. "The second exam is the longest and it usually takes place in the Training Ground 44. It's dark, most animals and plants in there are dangerous, any kind of shelter is exposed unless you do something about it and there are lots of places to put traps in."

Rin had a determined glint in her eyes. Determined to trample the competition or just get out alive?

Obito looked a bit paler than usual, but he was clenching his hands rather tightly. Scared, but not willing to back down.

Anko had a dreamy look on her face – she was probably gushing about poisonous plants.

"If she's anything like her future self, she is," commented Okugi.

Kakashi ignored him.

"The Exam might as well be somewhere else," he warned his teammates, "but even then it'll take place in a similar terrain. Take odourless food, like ration bars-" Obito's expression told him exactly what he thought about _that_ "-and at least one water bottle. Unless you have a storage seal, no sleeping bags. You'll have to deal. The Exam never lasts more than a five days anyway."

Minato nodded and ruffled Obito's hair – he knew better than mess up a girl's. "That's right. You have…" he looked at a clock as they passed by, "…two hours and a half to pack up and meet the next examiner at the top of the Hokage Mountain. I'll stop you only if I'm told you failed. Be _on_ _time_."

The young Uchiha muttered something like, "I'm only ten minutes late now, sensei..."

The jonin smiled brightly. "Whatever the outcome is, do your best, Team Minato!"

"YOSH!"

"We will, sensei!"

"Of course, Minato-san!"Kakashi nodded and the team scattered.

* * *

Two hours and twenty minutes later, a young chuunin was seen dragging a swearing genin from a corner of the Uchiha Compound to the top of the Hokage Mountain.

* * *

There were forty-five genin waiting at the top of the monument.

Fifteen chuunin led the fifteen teams in front of a high metallic gate, covered in seals bearing the kanji of 'lightning' and 'repel'.

The forest on the other side had enormous trees and bushes and a few colourful flowers and mushrooms, which were thankfully of average size. There were no echoing roars or rattles of dangerous fauna, but with the high chance of finding poisonous plants and venomous animals Anko was still inordinately thrilled. Even Rin had to admit she was excited to finally put her poison studies into practice.

Obito was a little less eager to face overgrown spiders and the like – but it'd take much more to stop him.

"_Finally_ everyone is here!" the examiner shouted from the top of a convenient shack built near Training Ground 47. "I am Nakame Inuzuka, proctor of the second test of the Chuunin Exams! I'm sure those of you who have already taken the Exam three years ago _and have not yet passed_-" a few of the older genin winced "-are asking themselves why we're not going to the Forest of Death!"

There were hesitant murmurs of agreement.

The woman's smirk was all teeth and aggression. "The Training Ground 44 is too big for this year's test to be completed in under four days, hence why you get the dubious pleasure of taking the exam in the Poison Swamp!"

Anko's grin was highly unsettling.

"Each team will receive a Moon Scroll," Nakame called as she showed them a white-edged black scroll with the kanji of 'water', "with a coded message inside: it will contain a location within the Training Ground and a passphrase you'll have to memorize. You'll need to find your corresponding Sun Scroll," she lifted a white scroll with black edges and also the kanji of 'water', "decode your message and reach the location before nightfall four days from now!"

Nakame's smirk got progressively wider. "There are five Sun Scrolls hidden throughout the Poison Swamp – and even you should guess what it means!"

There was a beat of silence before someone spluttered, "Five teams out of fifteen…!"

The genin's voices rose in unison.

"What?!"

"That's insane!"

"How the hell can we even find them?!"

The Inuzuka ignored their reactions. "Each Moon Scroll has a kanji: Fire, Water, Earth, Wind or Lightning. Your mission is to find your corresponding Sun Scroll, decode your message and reach your location before four days are up. Everything short of sadism is allowed!" Nakame let out a cheer nobody echoed. "Now all teams line up and get your Moon Scroll, nice and easy!"

Rin was given a Moon Scroll marked 'Wind' before a tall chuunin ordered them to follow him.

"Where are we going?" asked Obito.

The man barely spared a glance in his direction. "To a different gate of the Poison Swamp," he answered curtly and ignored the genin's unimpressed stares – mainly Obito's – behind him.

Team Minato's gate was marked 'Gate 5', so it hadn't taken long to reach it.

"Last instructions for this test: always keep the Moon Scroll on your person, try not to fall into quicksand, be careful of what you touch and eat." The chuunin narrowed his dark eyes at them. "Since Konoha is short on manpower nowadays, you can call on a jonin to save your lives - however, it will mean instantaneous disqualification for all your team."

He gave them three slips of paper each the size of Anko's palm with a Summoning Seal drawn on them.

"Don't use it unless it's absolutely necessary," he warned.

Obito and Anko almost scoffed at the older ninja – they had heard him just fine before, they weren't idiots! There was a reason they were taking the Chuunin Exams!

A small bang resonated through the air.

The man pushed the gate open with a small burst of chakra, which had deactivated the seal holding it shut. "Go," he told the genin.

Team Minato dashed into the Poison Swamp.

* * *

**So this Chapter is out! Yay!**

**…****Personal opinion, this Chapter is horrible. **

**Obito, Rin and Anko take the first test – I wanted something different from the anime, so there you go! I thought that, since chuunin should be responsible enough to get their team out of trouble if the jonin are down, they needed to plan. And get the whole team out alive. :P**

**Okugi is busy getting back into fighting shape, Kurama is busy regenerating his chakra, Kakashi is busy… semi-planning with his older self, apparently. Who would have thought? XP**

**The Second Exam has been brought to you by my Overworking Imagination, you're welcome! **

**Tell me if there's anything particularly wrong with what I'm doing – I'll see if I can fix it… or something… But I dunno... :/**

**(At least there's a bit of humour! YAY!)**

**Beware of the Kitsune's rage!**

**Shiiroi Kitsune21**


	38. Chapter 37: Poisonous, Unwarranted Fight

**Guess who's back! :D**

**Thanks to all you wonderful people who are still putting up with my Overworking Imagination – and thanks to Shadow-Shinobi666, NarutoxHonoka, Prescripto13, Guest 1, 2, Gacsam, Sailor Pandabear, Bindi-fox, Guest 3, 4, 5 and cloystreng for your reviews of the last chapter!**

**NarutoxHonoka: …Oh my God so much I ignored about Kabuto… goshdarnit… I don't think I want to bring in the Edo Tensei just yet, if at all, in here, you know? I mean, Kabuto is probably around twenty when Kakashi is around thirty, so he's barely a toddler for now. So he's not in Nono Yakushi's orphanage just yet, if I'm not wrong. This story is not in the right timeframe for Kabuto's Call to Revenge, I'm afraid! **

**Gacsam: Kurama had shot out only his chakra along with Older Kakashi, not his conscience. I think the situation is like Ginkaku and Kinkaku's, when they had Kurama's chakra but not his influence. Older Kakashi is his own individual, Younger Kakashi is a bit more like Older Kakashi (memories) and Kurama is still sleeping! ;)**

**Bindi-fox: you've been so loyal to me, how can I refuse more gratuitous Okugi/Minato fluff?! It's not exactly fluff here, but it's not angst either, so here you go! Some Okugi/Minato interaction! :D **

**No warnings this time! Huzzah!**

**It's just a Chapter almost as long as the Konoha vs Iwa one. Almost 7000 words! ;D **

* * *

**Chapter 37: Poisonous Fight, Unwarranted Fight **

"Rin, look! A Shinoseppun!"

The two kunoichi leapt down a branch and crouched near a small bush. It was nestled between two trees and its pointy leaves swayed gently into the afternoon breeze, revealing a few dark blue berries. Anko took a handkerchief from her pocket and picked some of the small fruits.

Obito stared at his two friends. "…They look like blueberries to me…" he mumbled to himself.

"They're _not blueberries_!" Anko hissed indignantly. "Wanna see how fast you die if you eat one? My bet's on five minutes flat!"

The Uchiha knew he stepped into dangerous territory and backtracked, raising his hands up in defense. "I think I'll pass!" he squeaked.

Rin giggled. "I have the antidote for these, the Seishi Hana, the Fukanzen Suimin and the Kurai Kusa, if we get in trouble with those."

"You mean if _he_ gets in trouble with those," the younger kunoichi muttered.

"Hey…!"

Anko raised an eyebrow at him, daring him to continue, before she resumed her berry-picking.

Obito flushed. She was kind of right: both girls knew more about those poisonous plants than he ever would. But he wasn't so stupid as to eat them before asking them.

Rin dusted off her apron-skirt and rose to her feet. "You got enough Shinoseppun, I think. Let's go."

They took to the higher branches and kept heading north – they needed to reach a shelter before night fell. After all, they had begun the second exam in the afternoon and had been jumping, running and searching for clues about their Sun Scroll for three hours.

Obito jumped at almost every bird that screeched near them – "What if they're huge hawks and they want to eat us?!" – and Anko, while also focusing on finding the Wind Sun Scroll, always turned her gaze downwards to look for other poisonous plants. The position of level-headed leader fell on Rin's shoulders.

The only problem had been maintaining the formation better suited for searching and, since they could meet enemy teams, defending and/or fleeing.

Starting from front to rear, the formation was Obito-Rin-Anko. Obito led the way and could be the first to react, the medic – Rin – was protected, Anko could quickly turn around and deflect any hits from behind. They all had agreed it was the best they could do once Obito nearly fell into a lone patch of quicksand when he was jumping backwards.

But sometimes Obito would accidentally change their direction from north to north-_west_, so Rin had to steer him in the right direction based on the sun's position.

Other times, Anko would find a plant that piqued her interest and she'd stop to collect some 'samples' for 'research' and 'not having to buy them later on', so Rin had to jump down – which prompted Obito to jump down as well – and get everyone moving before Anko filled her pockets to the brim with poison.

Rin figured she had little choice but to step up every now and then.

(The younger kunoichi did have two storage scrolls, but they had agreed to use them only when they found shelter. No need to attract attention or waste time and chakra, after all.)

"How do we even know where is our Sun Scroll, anyway?" Obito asked.

That… that was a good question. They only knew what it looked like, and that wasn't enough to go by. Not even its smell would have helped: they were not trackers.

(Kakashi was.)

"It must be in a place where most teams can find it," Rin pointed out, "or they would've given us more time, or information."

"Maybe it's hidden by a genjutsu! They seem to like using them."

Rin hummed affirmatively. It wasn't like Obito could see her nod. "It's possible."

"What about Fuinjutsu?" Anko suggested from the rear.

"I hope it's not the case – Minato-sensei can break them, but he's a _jonin_. We're just genin aiming for chuunin, and I don't think chuunin need to know about Fuinjutsu."

Anko was silent for two seconds. "Maybe they just added a couple traps. Kakashi told us there are lots of places to put them and…" she squinted at the branches around them, "…he's right."

"And they'd steal the spotlight from us genin?" Obito shot a smirk at her.

"Even if they do," said Rin, "I don't think the traps would be above chuunin-level. That'd be unfair."

Obito was about to answer when a bright green blur rushed in front of him.

"Obito-kun!"

The genin threw a punch out of instinct.

Gai blocked it with his left hand and pushed him to a branch behind him, back to his team. "My friends!" he shouted with a bright grin on his face. "I'm overjoyed to find you so soon into this Glorious Competition of Youth!"

Ebisu sighed as he halted on the same overgrown branch as his teammate. "Gai, just… stop."

"Indoor voice, Gai, we're on a mission." Genma laughed as he too stopped in front of Team Minato. He ignored the fact that they were outdoors. "Obito, Rin, Anko."

Orochimaru's apprentice took position to Rin's left and nodded. "Genma."

"Which scroll are you looking for?" Ebisu asked, skipping all pleasantries.

Nobody seemed about to answer.

"We're looking for the Most Youthful Earth Sun Scroll!" Gai shouted once the silence became too thick.

Ebisu face-palmed. Genma snorted.

Rin relaxed her stance. "We have the Wind Moon Scroll," she answered.

The opposing team looked at each other and nodded. Their hands didn't inch to their weapon pouches and the tension in their shoulders eased. Anko and Obito relaxed as well – they weren't forced to fight, so why should they?

"So," Ebisu began, "do you have any idea were the other Sun Scrolls are?"

"Not a clue," chirped Anko.

Genma scratched the back of his neck. "We've passed a burrow near the swamp in that direction," he jabbed a finger behind him, "but the examiners didn't have the humor to bury the Earth Sun Scroll there. No genjutsu, no fuinjutsu, no traps – just a big waste of time. What did you find?"

"Flowers, bushes, berries, trees," Obito summarized. He shrugged. "Everything's poisonous."

Anko rolled her eyes. "Not _these_ trees," she précised.

Ebisu adjusted his dark glasses. "I see."

"I think someone got stuck in quicksand," Genma added, "somewhere in the swamp. They got out, though – just don't trust the ground too much."

"Thanks for the warning." Rin nodded.

Gai flashed her a sparkly grin and two thumbs up. "You're Most Welcome, Rin-chan!"

Ebisu told his team to 'move it' after that and the two genin squads parted ways – Team Minato decided to cross the swamp north-east while Team Jiyo continued south.

Once they had reached the edge of the forest from which they had a very clear view of the swamp, the three genin found an ideal place to stop. As ideal as they could hope to get, anyway.

It was an overgrown tree, older and larger than the ones around him – but not taller, so the other 'enemy' teams couldn't spot it from a distance. Its branches were large enough for the young genin to sleep on without worrying about falling and the leaves provided enough cover to pass undetected to all teams who didn't pay much attention. The forest spread west and south, thick enough to plant traps among the trees.

There were only two problems.

The swamp took the northern and eastern parts of the tree – after all, it was at the edge of the forest. They couldn't cover that part in traps without risking detection, burial by quicksand and unwanted attention from everyone who happened to pass through.

And last but not least – if they found that place strategic, of course others would too.

Dusk was setting in, robbing the sky of its sunlight. They didn't have time to look for another place or make do with whatever they would stumble into, Rin knew, and they needed to find their Sun Scroll as soon as possible. They needed to rest for that.

Team Minato decided to claim the tree as theirs for the night.

Obito and Rin set ten traps a hundred meters away from their tree. Four traps would skewer the unaware passerby's with kunai, two others would wrap ninja wire around their target tightly enough to draw blood and the last four would hurl poisoned senbon.

Since trap-setting wasn't Anko's specialization, she stood guard over her teammates and checked the perimeter. She also sealed her poisonous discoveries into one of her storage scrolls, grinning all the while.

They decided to change their shifts every two hours and a quarter – Anko, Rin and Obito in succession.

* * *

_The next morning_

Minato looked at the screens along with ten other jonin.

His team had been up two hours after dawn to dismantle their traps – they recuperated their supplies and didn't leave traps around, good – and begin immediately their search for their Sun Scroll. They also managed the guard shifts well: Anko, despite being younger, still had energy to take the first turn. Since Rin had rested, she could stand guard over her teammates and wake Obito up in time for his shift. Obito didn't risk falling asleep and had time to wake up his sleep-addled brain.

They still had no idea how to find their Sun Scroll, though. They were no trackers.

Anko could send her snakes – she had spoken of the small Chiisai, the short-tempered Bakuchiku and the quick Raimei, all offspring of one of Orochimaru's summons – but they couldn't cover so much ground in so little time. They were also too little to fight off the other genin teams if they crossed paths, and Minato didn't think she'd risk her own summons like this.

Rin had trained under Minato and Sarune, and none of them were that good at finding items in the wilderness. She knew how to fight and heal, but not track.

Obito was a fighter most of all. He had to be pointed in the right direction with the right orders – and telling him to find a scroll in a forest was like asking him to find the proverbial needle in the haystack. Unless he burned the forest down and the Sun Scroll was fireproof, he wouldn't find it alone.

Minato hoped they had luck on their side. The Poison Swamp was a little bigger than half of Training Ground 44, but four days weren't enough time to search the whole place.

Both Byakugan and Sharingan users were advantaged. Mainly the Hyuuga, though. Maybe some of the Inuzuka too, if they could pick up the scent of paper and ink in the middle of a forest.

All the others – which included both Jiyo and Fuuyuki's teams, not only Minato's – had to rely either on vague alliances with competing teams, traps or ambushes. Of course, all of them depended on luck as well.

But the blond jonin knew that complaining would take him nowhere. The proctor was Nakame Inuzuka and she decided how her test would be, period.

His blue eyes roamed over the screens – his team was crossing the swamp in the middle of the Training Ground, Jiyo's was already fighting off another squad in the thick of the forest, Fuuyuki's was sneaking around a trap to find an enemy team, someone else was planning ambushes and plating traps…

…And a kid ate a few Shinoseppun. Ouch.

Minato had stalk- ehm, _watched over_ Anko and Rin enough to know that those were _not_ blueberries. He winced.

The jonin in charge of getting that team out of mortal trouble cursed, dragging his palm across his scarred face. "Oh no, he _didn't_."

Sarune deadpanned a "yes, he did" before she handed him a syringe full of the antidote. "I don't care if those idiots don't call you – you give the antidote as soon as you arrive. And disqualify them."

The man nodded and shunshinned to the Poison Swamp.

There was a kunoichi who inhaled too much pollen of a few Seishi Hana and was quivering like a leaf. Her teammates had turned around and were trying to find out what was wrong with her, but couldn't find anything.

Of course they couldn't – they didn't know that the blue bell-like flowers the kunoichi had smelled before were called 'Freeze Flower'. For good reason, too. The girl dropped to her knees like a puppet with its strings cut.

Another jonin near Minato slapped her forehead. "Seriously? They know nothing of the Seishi Hana?"

Sarune neared the blond with a sigh. "At least I know Rin-chan and Anko won't have these problems," she muttered, "and they can keep Obito-kun out of trouble."

Minato nodded. "It's a good thing the girls studied poisonous plants," he agreed.

"It's _always_ a good thing." The iryo-nin turned a sorrowful gaze at him. "I just can't help thinking about the reason Rin-chan wanted to study poisons and antidotes in the first place."

_'__Because Kakashi had to be rushed back to the village with a gut wound and poison in his veins, and everyone in his position would've been as good as dead,' _he thought. Minato had tried to erase all the _terror _latched onto that fact for a reason.

There was also the lie Jiraya-sensei had spun seven months ago: instead of having a bijuu sealed in his gut in the (maybe) early morning, Kakashi had been 'poisoned by something that damaged his chakra system and had to do physical therapy to get back up to speed'.

At least it hadn't happened in the last mission in Shichi Town.

Kakashi had been kidnapped instead.

Minato inwardly shook those thoughts away with a firm _Kakashi's back now, no need to linger on the past. _"At least they're using their knowledge to _prevent_ poisoning," he stated, "instead of healing."

"There's that," she agreed. "How is Kakashi, by the way? I've come back yesterday from my last mission and didn't get the chance to visit him."

Minato hoped his smile didn't look too much like grimace. "He's fine."

Sarune pursed her lips. "_Physically_," she spat bitterly, "of course he would. He heals fast, he even survived a mortal wound. But psychologically?" The woman snorted. "I don't think those Kumo-nin had mercy for your student, no matter his age. How _is_ Kakashi?"

"He's…" _showing positive emotions now and then, but sometimes he gets this look on his face when he thinks nobody is watching, like he's looking at ghosts in a graveyard, _"…managing. Sometimes he's lost in thought, but there's always someone with him."

The jonin raised an eyebrow at him. "Who's with him now?"

"Okugi." At her blank look, he added, "Ah- the, uhm, summon that had been freed with him."

Sarune's stare screamed 'And you're leaving your student with an _unknown summon_?', but before she could ask him about it, another jonin moaned at the lack of common sense those genin had "and if they keep eating those Shinoseppun…!"

The iryo-nin parted with a "Minato-san," and hurried to give the antidote to the jonin.

Minato left the control room to check on his student.

* * *

Minato was staring at them.

Okugi stared at his sensei's hair and tried not to squirm, though his tails betrayed him.

Kakashi stared back wholly unrepentant.

"Kakashi," the man said.

The chuunin blinked innocently. "Yes, sensei?"

"Care to explain what you were doing?" He was taking this surprisingly well.

"Training," the younger shinobi answered. At Minato's glare, he added, "I was sparring with Okugi."

"Sparring," the blond sensei repeated.

Kakashi pointedly didn't look at the holes littering the ground where there should have been trees. "Yes."

Minato's eyes narrowed. "_Sparring_."

The boy nodded.

"Does 'sparring' include throwing trees in the lake?"

"That was before." Kakashi was still blinking like he had done nothing wrong. "And I wasn't throwing them _in the lake_ – I was throwing them at Okugi, so that he was forced to either dodge or destroy them."

Minato almost didn't want to know why Kakashi decided it was a normal training method. "You were _throwing trees_."

"Yes, sensei."

"Why?"

Kakashi _shrugged_. "Obito, Rin and Anko are taking the Chuunin Exams – that means we'll get more difficult missions, because they won't be genin anymore." Which implied _he was sure they would pass_. "We'll get stronger opponents. Stronger opponents can manipulate the environment around them – hence why I was throwing trees at Okugi."

"It wasn't my idea, I swear," the half-demon defended himself.

Kakashi glared at him, which prompted an equally-vicious glare and a growl from Okugi. "You wanted to dig out boulders and throw them at me," the chuunin deadpanned.

_'__Which you thankfully didn't do,' _Minato thought to himself.

Okugi's long ears flattened on his head and he bared his fangs. "I wanted to try out my Doton jutsu. There's nothing wrong with that."

Doton jutsu from a half-demon whose natures were Fire and Lightning. Sure… the only problem was that only human shinobi could do ninjutsu outside of their elements. Gamabunta could do Water jutsu, that was it. Even if he could spit oil, he couldn't ignite it with his own chakra.

Okugi had his hind legs soaking wet and his white fur contrasted sharply with the mud smeared over his sides. There were a few twigs and pebbles too, somehow tangled in his fur. Cleaning him would be a nightmare, Minato mused.

Kakashi was slightly better. His clothes were dirty and a part of his shinobi pants just below his knee had been bitten off, revealing a bit of his pale skin. His hair would need a thorough washing and the hilt of his tanto had been in contact with claws, but he'll live.

At least fifteen trees were missing from their rightful places in Training Ground 25: Minato could see six trees either floating or sinking in the nearby lake, while the other nine were in various states of destruction – scorched by lightning, burnt by fire, destroyed by brute force.

The ground around them wasn't any better. There were crumbled Doton walls, charred patches of dirt that were once covered in grass, fallen branches, small craters and enough holes to indicate that someone was using the Hiding Like A Mole jutsu a bit too enthusiastically.

Kakashi hadn't learnt it yet, so the blame must somehow be Okugi's…?

Who was Minato kidding? Of course Kakashi could have just looked it up between one Fuinjutsu scroll and a book on Raiton. It would be just like him to secretly study jutsu, keeping them hidden in his sleeves until it was time to surprise both enemies and allies.

(Or until Minato noticed subtle injuries linked to those jutsu… then Kurama happened, and all injuries disappeared.)

Minato clapped his hands to get Kakashi and Okugi's attention. "While it's good that now Okugi has shown incredible progress in his chakra control-" the half-demon straightened with a grin at that, "and that you both proved how much destruction you can cause in a _friendly spar_-" both winced, "-I don't think the team who'll train here after you will be very happy."

Kakashi put both hands behind his head, elbows up in an excessive display of indifference. "They can move to the other side of the lake."

Minato sighed into his hand. "Just… next time you spar… try not to destroy half the Training Ground."

"Yes, sensei." Both Kakashi and Okugi answered.

The jonin raised an eyebrow at the half-demon – _why was he calling him sensei?_ – before he assumed that spending time with Kakashi, Obito and Rin made Okugi think of him as 'sensei'. A figure of authority, whose orders were to be followed and not questioned.

Not that it was a bad thing: it meant he didn't have to deal with a rebellious chibi Kyuubi, for which he was grateful.

Still, Minato should have known better than let Kakashi have a free morning – between dusting off his (mostly hands-on) experience with poisonous plants and watching how his genin were doing, he could only offer training in the afternoon.

But, as shown by the destroyed Training Ground, he should have given him something more specific to do – or _not_ to do.

Kakashi's stomach rumbled. A red flush crept over his mask.

Okugi laughed at him and almost got a kunai through his head for the trouble.

Minato chuckled. "Ichiraku ramen it is?"

"We had ramen just yesterday," his student muttered. "I'll pass this time, sensei."

"_Steak!_" All of Okugi's tails went up as he suggested that. His tongue was poking through his fangs. "Steak sounds good to me! Though I can't go in like this…"

Kakashi sniffed both at himself and the half-demon. "Yeah, we should wash up first…"

"Henge!"

A puff of smoke later, an older version of Kakashi stood in Okugi's place – same mask, same hair. The only things different were the jonin vest and the scar over his left eye. Minato could even feel a small genjutsu layered over his form to hide most of the odor and the dirt. To go in a week from genin-level chakra control to mid-chuunin-level was nothing short of astonishing.

Okugi closed his eyes in the approximation of a smile. An eye-smile? "There! _Now_ we can go eating!"

Minato didn't know what he expected. Okugi was a fox (kind of) and weren't foxes known to be resourceful, especially when it came to deceiving others?

Kakashi scrunched up his nose. "You still smell."

The now man reached down to ruffle the chuunin's hair. The latter dodged to his sensei's side, though he couldn't escape the mischievous glint of Okugi's reddish eyes. They leaned mostly on Kakashi's onyx color, though the edges around the iris were a dark shade of scarlet.

"Now, that isn't very nice to say, _Chibi_."

The boy scowled. "I stated a fact. You smell awful."

Okugi made a show of sniffing around as they reached the gate of the Training Ground. If Minato didn't know any better, he'd say that Okugi looked more at ease with a human-like form. "The sweat's all yours!" he chirped, and under Kakashi's raised eyebrow he continued, "Unless you think chakra can sweat, of course!"

Minato's steps almost faltered. It was one thing to keep pretending Okugi was a Konoha summon – flesh, bones and all – but it was another to acknowledge that he was, in fact, made out entirely of condensed chakra. A miniature bijuu.

Okugi's eyes twinkled playfully as he dusted off his conjured jonin flak jacket.

Kakashi just glared at him.

Minato coughed. "Well, since I'm outnumbered two-to-one on ramen… we can go to that BBQ nearby after you clean yourselves up. No offense, but you _both_ smell." Kakashi mumbled something that sounded like, "I knew it already," which the blond ignored. "How does half past one sound?"

"We'll be there in no time!" Okugi grinned at him. Kakashi nodded with a, "Sounds great."

Minato smiled back. Okugi was just so enthusiastic, nobody would suspect he was actually a miniature bijuu sneaking into a restaurant to eat. "Alright then! Ja ne!"

They went each their own way, though Minato could hear Kakashi saying something along the lines of, "Are you seriously going to the village henged like _that_?"

He let his feet carry him to his apartment – he still had an hour before he was to meet with them for lunch, but he needed to think without risking bumping into people.

Okugi was a walking, laughing enigma.

Cat of Team Hound was a sensor and had confirmed Kakashi's statement that the half-demon was a mixture of his and Kurama's chakra. He admitted that he could sense the Hatake's white chakra under the bijuu's only because he had spent so much time watching over Kakashi when he trained.

Which was (kind of) normal, at least. White chakra may be strong, but any bijuu's was stronger.

The Hokage had said that, when he inspected Kakashi's seal and talked with Kurama, he discovered that a part of Kakashi's chakra was being stored and used as a filter. It did make sense – a shinobi's chakra coils could hardly withstand the sudden addition of a whole bijuu's worth of chakra. It just implied that the Masked Sealer had an incredibly vast Fuinjutsu knowledge, maybe even _more than the Hokage's_. Terrifying.

Sandaime-sama also said that, according to Kakashi's report of his kidnapping experience, Okugi was made out of the filter's chakra and a huge load of Kurama's. His chakra had condensed much like a bijuu coming back to life due to the Kyuubi imitator's energy.

When Okugi had to report – _Kakashi was unconscious on an enemy ship oh Kami_ – he immediately knew Kumo was bad news, had tried to fight them off (or just make life more difficult for them) and sort of talked with the Hachibi, which prompted Bee to delve deeper.

Torture. Simple as that.

Okugi took it all in stride, better than most _ANBU_ could, actually.

But.

As far as Minato knew, condensed chakra could hold memories – hence "fuzzbutt grouching about how he missed flattening mountains when he was fighting the Shodaime" in Kushina's words – and consciences (bijuu).

Okugi had both Kurama's and Kakashi's chakra.

Two main questions stood out in his mind.

1 – Whose memories were Okugi's when he was 'born'?

2 – Whose were the personality traits he showed?

Okugi could have known Kumo was bad news by glimpsing Kakashi's memories. It was also possible he remembered Kurama's experience of his first mission sealed inside Minato's student. Honestly, Minato would be more relieved if it was the former – a miniature bijuu with Kakashi's set of memories would rather die (disperse?) before going against them and Konoha. If it was the latter, Minato hoped Okugi bonded enough with them and the genin. He sure didn't seem to mind the attention – craved it, even.

The personality was a big, glowing question mark.

Okugi didn't act like Kakashi at all. He seemed to genuinely enjoy teasing him and trading banter back and forth, showed joy whenever the genin talked to him or around him, open embarrassment when he caught sight of Minato gawking at the damage they had done and annoyance when he couldn't get his chakra control exercises right.

Kakashi's own emotions were usually more muted. There, but muted. He showed more of them after being kidnapped – which made Minato wonder just _why_ Kakashi changed only after something traumatic happened to him. If opening up meant he had to go through hell and back, Minato preferred if his student remained how he was.

Admittedly, Minato didn't know anything about Kurama. But he didn't think the Kyuubi imitator would be the polar opposite of the Kyuubi himself.

Okugi was still an enigma. He could ask the half-demon himself, though – maybe even Kakashi had a few ideas.

Talking over a few steaks it was. Minato pouted inwardly at the thought of _skipping ramen_… even though it was probably more because Kushina had been away for a while and he missed having lunch with her. Which often was, surprise of surprises, ramen.

He hoped Okugi didn't eat all that much, since it was Minato's treat.

* * *

Team Minato had almost fallen in an ambush.

Almost.

Rin grabbed Obito's shoulder when she felt dim chakra signatures above them. Anko too stopped and tried to pinpoint their positions.

"Rin, what-"

The kunoichi pressed her left index finger to her lips, then pointed it down. _"Not here."_

Obito gulped.

The three genin dashed to the right and hid behind a tree trunk on another branch. They suppressed their chakra signatures as much as they could – even if there was no way the enemy team hadn't noticed them, it didn't hurt to buy a few seconds to come up with a strategy.

Anko had a crush course on the hand signals they used, fortunately. She closed her right hand and put her left over it. Then she moved her fist over her the back of her left hand. _"Hide, then attack?" _

Rin nodded. She pointed herself and Anko with her left hand before placing her right index finger between left index and middle fingers. _"We support Obito."_

Obito frowned at that, then nodded.

That was when they heard a shouted, "Gatsuga!"

The genin leapt in three different directions to avoid the two whirlwind that crashed into the branch, sending splinters and dust in the air.

Anko quickly stretched her chakra to feel the enemies' presence and frowned when she could feel a buzz at most, covering the whole area. Damn it. She'd have very little time to prepare for-

She whirled around to clash with a black-haired kunoichi, kunai against katana.

Her opponent smirked and pressed down on Anko with her longer weapon. "I can give you a chance to surrender, since it's clear to me who'll win this," she taunted, knowing she had the upper hand.

Anko sent her a smirk all teeth and aggression. "Scared I'll win?"

The older girl – thirteen-year-old? – scowled and kicked her in the knee. She kawarimi'ed out of her way before her booted foot could break her knee. Anko jumped on branch above her opponent and threw twenty kunai in quick succession.

The kunoichi knocked aside the weapons with a smirk. "That's all-"

The Exploding Tag tied to the last kunai blew up.

Anko jumped down the branch before she was cut to ribbons. The older genin had avoided her attack – she was _fast_ and had just followed her, ready to use her katana.

The violet-haired kunoichi somersaulted in midair to avoid her downward slash. She pushed chakra to her feet to bounce off the tree on which she had landed and head straight for her falling opponent with two kunai in her hands.

They clashed and Anko kicked her in the stomach. The other kunoichi raised her knee to protect her organs and pushed her away with her katana. Anko threw one of her kunai at her and somersaulted to another branch as the older girl stuck to the bark of another tree.

She smirked. "Not bad."

Her eyes weren't black like before – they were blood red.

She had the Sharingan.

"Satoshi Uchiha," she presented herself. "You are?"

The younger kunoichi scowled. Of all opponents, one with a damn _Sharingan_. "Anko Mitarashi," she hissed.

Satoshi's smirk just widened. "After I wipe the floor with you, Orochimaru-sama will _love_ having me as his apprentice in your place."

Anko's blood boiled at the jab, but she had to stay calm. _Assess the situation, find your enemy's weaknesses, strike swiftly and without mercy. _

Satoshi had a longer reach, both with her katana and her arms. She could read her hand seals with her Sharingan, and fighting fire with fire was a bad idea unless she was sure her attacks were stronger than hers. Genjutsu was out of discussion.

She needed to find Rin and Obito.

"Katon: Great Fireball!"

Well, she found Obito.

A giant fireball scorched the trees to Anko's left and she jumped in that direction. If she could figure out a way to deal with his opponent, it'd be two against Satoshi.

In midair, Anko came face to face with the Uchiha and her katana. "You're not going anywhere, Anko-chan!"

She reached up with her kunai, but Satoshi whirled on herself and kicked her in the abdomen. Anko's breath was knocked out of her and the katana nicked her right forearm.

The kunoichi landed on a tree branch and had to block or dodge most of Satoshi's relentless attacks. She had the distinct impression that the Uchiha was playing with her.

_"Strike swiftly and without mercy," _Orochimaru-sensei had told Anko. "_You lose the advantage of surprise and your opponents might come up with a plan unless you strike them down when you have the chance."_

Which was what Anko was doing – she analyzed Satoshi's patterns.

The older kunoichi aimed her slashes from her chest up, she noted. It was probably a tactic to frighten her or hamper her sight with the sparks of metal against metal. Satoshi was easily a head taller than Anko, though – it could also be that lowering her stance would hinder herself.

At a particularly hard strike, Anko reeled back five meters.

Satoshi ran at her to attack while the younger genin pretended to have lost her balance.

Anko fell on her left side and swept Satoshi off her feet – only in the literal sense, mind you – with her right leg. The Uchiha nearly crumpled at the chakra-infused kick and Anko continued her rotation until she charged an uppercut with her right arm.

The fist landed in her gut and Satoshi immediately jumped back, not without slashing one last time with her katana. Anko hissed at the bleeding wound on her left shoulder and leapt back as well.

She quickly kawarimi'ed outside of Satoshi's range when she rushed at her again.

Anko saw Obito and Rin already teaming up against an Inuzuka – the one who had first attacked them – and a Hyuuga. Because _why not?_ Of course they would have shitty luck.

The Inuzuka and his clone – his henged ninken, most likely – charged straight at Rin, spinning and shouting, "Gatsuga!" once more.

Anko quickly flashed through her hand seals. "Katon: Phoenix Flowers!"

Both genin and ninken had to change their direction to avoid getting burnt by her fireballs.

She landed right beside Rin, who whispered, "Who did you have to fight?"

"Satoshi Uchiha," answered Anko and Rin grimaced.

The Inuzuka tried to attack them once more and the two kunoichi jumped back. Obito was having a hard time trying to keep the Hyuuga boy away from him, and both were standing on the water. It'd only take the Hyuuga a hit to make Obito fall in the swamp.

The Uchiha was busy throwing kunai at his opponent, cursing.

"Why are you even attacking us anyway?!" he was screaming. The Hyuuga just watched him blankly and chased after him. "We're just looking for the Wind Sun Scroll!"

The Inuzuka spun towards Obito, most likely to force him into facing the Hyuuga.

Rin quickly summoned her chakra through the hand seals of Dragon, Tiger and Hare. "Suiton: Wild Water Wave!" she shouted and spat enough high-pressure water to divert the Gatsuga.

"Katon: Dragon's Breath!"

"Katon: Phoenix Flowers!"

Twenty fireballs rained down on the Hyuuga, who narrowed his eyes.

"Kaiten!" He yelled and deflected the fire with his impenetrable defense. Anko and Obito took that opportunity to join Rin and leap on a branch above them.

Satoshi Uchiha joined her teammates down on the water.

Anko hadn't had time to look at any of them properly, but now she could see that Satoshi was most likely around Obito's age – ten or eleven, twelve at most – and preferred to wear a dark green shirt without the high collar most Uchiha had. Instead of reaching her chin, it reached the lower part of her trachea. She was wearing dull mimetic colors – dark green, brown, gray – on both her toeless boots and short kunoichi pants. Anko narrowed her eyes at the two scrolls tied at her sides.

The Inuzuka on her left wore a light brown coat, dark brown cargo pants and blue shoes. He had a backpack dyed brown and black for mimetic purposes. His ninken was the same shade as his coat and had vicious-looking claws.

The Hyuuga had, much to Anko's surprise, a short-sleeved white jacket. His hands were bandaged up to his elbows, as were his legs below his knees. He wore brown shinobi sandals and brown pants that ended on his knees.

Satoshi tilted her head slightly. "So you're the Yellow Flash's students?"

Obito blinked, then pointed at her with a shout of, "You! You're…!"

"Satoshi Uchiha," she completed coldly. "You've met my good for nothing twin, Atsui. Not me."

Obito frowned. "She's nicer than you," he muttered.

"Shinobi aren't _nice_," the kunoichi shot back, gripping her katana tighter. She turned to her teammates. "Takai, Daku – formation B."

Daku Inuzuka grinned. "Now we're talking," he commented as he threw a pill at his ninken. "Let's go, Kiiroimaru!"

His ninken yipped, then growled as the soldier pill made its effect.

Anko narrowed her eyes.

"Gatsuga!" Daku leapt at them and destroyed the branch they previously occupied. Obito and Rin jumped high while Anko dived low.

Satoshi kicked herself of the water and, once her katana was somehow back in its sheath across her back, she threw ten shuriken at the two genin.

Obito knocked aside most of them with his kunai, covering Rin while she threw five kunai of her own.

The other kunoichi clapped her hands. "Fuuton: Gale Palm!"

The sudden wind hurled the thrown weapons back at the genin, who were too startled by the jutsu to react. Being in front of Rin, Obito landed on the water with three new cuts on his ribs.

Satoshi quickly took out her katana and viciously attacked her relative, pressing her longer reach and higher speed on him. He would have lost in a few seconds if Rin hadn't done her hardest to make the other girl's life more difficult with quick punches – easily avoided – and many senbon thrown point-blank – which demanded more of Satoshi's attention to avoid.

"Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms!"

Satoshi glanced to her right and saw that Anko barely escaped in time to avoid Takai's attack. She was quick… Orochimaru-sama must have taught her well.

The Uchiha infused her Wind chakra into her blade as she slashed, severing Obito's kunai in two. He screamed and reached for another as he reeled back. Satoshi followed his movements and lunged at the genin, but she had to duck under Rin's kick.

Instead of slashing Obito's sternum, she cut his lower left thigh, just above his knee.

"Shit!" he hissed, then strung together a few hand seals. Satoshi knew from the first two what it was going to be and would have quickly jabbed at him if his friend weren't so damn persistent. She jumped back.

"Katon: Great Fireball!"

But Obito didn't aim it at Satoshi.

He aimed it at the water in front of him.

The muddy water hissed as steam rose and covered their escape. Or rather, it would have if Satoshi couldn't follow the flames of their chakra with her Sharingan.

She ignored the two Clones fleeing to her left and dived straight for the true genin running to her right.

Rin turned around. "Suiton: Wild Water Wave!"

Satoshi cut through her attack with a burst of Wind chakra. "Not enough!" she taunted with a smirk and readied her katana to attack once more...

"Striking Shadow Snakes!"

Anko had jumped to her teammates' aid, her right arm outstretched as if to grab Satoshi. Five dark brown snakes hissed to life under her sleeves – which ended just below her elbows – and hurled themselves at the Uchiha, fangs bared and coated in poison.

Satoshi quickly redirected her slash to the snakes, which left time for Rin to throw three other senbon to her legs. She didn't have a chance to dodge both attacks, not even with her Sharingan. If she had a tenth of second more to use Kawarimi…

"Fuuton: Great Breakthrough!"

Takai had chased after Anko and noticed Satoshi's predicament, fortunately for her. The Hyuuga had already summoned his chakra to shove her out of the attacks' paths – the snakes found empty air and retreated into Anko's sleeves – ew – while Rin's senbon fell into the swamp.

Satoshi returned to her team with a jump.

"I assume she's more trouble than you thought?" she whispered.

Takai nodded. "She summoned her snakes when I was too close to avoid them," he said, glancing at the four holes in his right arm. He grimaced. "Two of them bit me."

"Daku?"

He plucked a few scorched hair off his head, scowling. "What do you _think?_"

Satoshi almost rolled her eyes. Takai was most likely poisoned, Daku was still impulsive and apparently Anko Mitarashi had a reason to be competing so young in the Chuunin Exams.

But her Sharingan could see clearly how Anko's left arm hang limply by her side, and how blood flowed out of her wounds on her right forearm and left shoulder. Obito had three cuts on his ribs and a deeper wound above his left knee. Rin had mainly bruises coming from various counterattacks – Satoshi could make out Daku's claw marks and a few of her own kicks – but all of them were still standing.

Takai wouldn't be standing for long, though.

Satoshi started cleaning her katana with a dark blue cloth, the Uchiha crest imprinted on its corners. "Tell you what," she began, "you're a tough bunch. It's not worth the trouble to waste energy on you – we'll let the Poison Swamp do the job for us."

All three genin exchanged surprised glances, then nodded. Obito was the first to turn north-east, but Anko stopped him.

"Takai-san," she called, "that poison I used on you is a paralytic. If you don't get the antidote within three hours, you won't move your arms and legs. If you don't get it within six hours, your heart could stop."

The Hyuuga was very still.

Anko reached into her pouch to take a phial full of a yellowish liquid. "I will give you the antidote – thus not forcing you to call on your jonin – if you don't attack us for the next three days counting today, and give us the Wind Sun Scroll if you find it before us."

Satoshi, Takai and Daku looked at each other. They didn't have experience with poisons, but none of them wanted to get disqualified. All they had to do was letting them go on their way, which was what Satoshi was contemplating in the first place.

The Uchiha nodded. "You have our word."

Orochimaru's apprentice grinned and chirped, "Deal!" as she threw the phial at Takai. "It's bitter, but you'll feel better if you drink it all at once!"

With that parting exclamation, Anko, Rin and Obito went on their merry way.

* * *

**Part 1 of the Second Chuunin Exam, complete! **

**Part 2 incoming! :D**

**I actually enjoyed writing this Chapter. Obito, Rin and Anko get their oh-shit situation, kick some ass, get their asses kicked, Minato wonders, Okugi is still a happy ball of sunshine and Kakashi doesn't know why he still puts up with his shit! Yay! **

**Of course I had planned to write Kushina's return here, but alas she's delayed to the next Chapter – because I'm a bad person like that ;P**

**As always, tell me if there's anything to improve or something – even a few words on this Chapter like "I liked this part where…" and "I think [guy or gal] should be more… because…" are helpful, believe me! :3**

**Dictionary time!**

**Shinoseppun means Kiss of Death!**

**Seishi Hana means Freeze Flower!**

**Fukanzen Suimin means Incomplete Sleep! (silly name, I know :P)**

**Kurai Kusa means Dark Grass!**

**Beware of the Kitsune's rage!**

**Shiiroi Kitsune21**


	39. Chapter 38: To Push On Through

**I should be doing my homework, and yet here I am! ;P**

**Thanks to everyone who fav'ed and followed and Unterflieger, AngelicRiver, cloystreng, NarutoxHonoka, Guest 1, FnkY, Bindi-fox, ArmCannos34, Sailor Pandabear, anaisonfire, Shadow-Shinobi666 and Guest 2 for their reviews!**

**Cloystreng: well, I did pit them against an Uchiha with the Sharingan, a Hyuuga and an Inuzuka! Cut the poor kids some slack :P They have all the time in the world to go against more overpowered shinobi, and they won't be genin-almost-chuunin ;) *whistles innocently***

**FnkY: DAMN ONION NINJA CUT SOME ONION UNDER MY EYES I'M CRYING. *sniffle* This just about melted my heart. Thank you and good luck with your fanfic! :D**

**Bindi-fox: I had a blast writing the jonin face-palming at the genin's stupidity XD And of course I've written the BBQ scene! Though Minato is more interested in interrogating Okugi… and find out if he's got to deal with a Chibi Kyuubi or a strange Kakashi, so… *whistles innocently***

**ArmCannos34: …slight mistake, but the point was that Kabuto was still too young to be already recruited or brought to the orphanage. I didn't check Narutopedia for Kabuto's exact age and cross-referenced it with Kakashi's. My bad :P **

**Anaisonfire: no Older Kakashi running around! (Yet?) He wanted to mess with Minato by henge-ing as himself, but Minato was deeply unimpressed so his glorious plan sort of failed. And he's still rubbing his higher height on Chibi Kakashi's face XD**

**Guest 2: MY LAST STORY WILL BE WHEN I BREATHE MY LAST BREATH! Most likely a bit sooner, but eh. I've still got all my life (and SCHOOL) to look forward to! :D Thank you!**

**This Chapter is also very long. The Chuunin Exams Arc kinda demands it :P**

* * *

**Chapter 38: To Push On Through**

"That Henge," Kakashi said, "is going to get you in trouble."

Okugi shrugged. "What are you talking about? It's perfect." He twirled one of his brown hair locks around his fingers to prove his point. "Who's going to suspect a random nondescript chuunin, who's having lunch with another fellow chuunin and his teacher, to be any different from them?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow and glanced pointedly at the people whispering about them.

The once-jonin pouted. "Do you care?"

"Not really," the chuunin admitted. "But it'll get both of us into the rumor-mill – _again_. Then Hokage-sama will hear about it and we'll waste his time because you did _this_."

Okugi put his hands behind his head. "Our company can vouch that I don't have bad intentions, though." He tilted his head to the nearest ANBU's position, who seemed to be Cat. "And I've used this disguise in the 'past' – it even fooled Gai."

For all of Gai's obnoxiousness and ridiculous challenges, he had _always_ recognized Kakashi. It was impressive that 'Sukea's disguise fooled him. Kakashi raised both eyebrows. "Really?"

The time-traveller nodded. "Yup. Just because I was without mask, changed my hair," he fluffed his brown hair for emphasis, "put contact lenses," he pointed his now gray-brown eyes, "and covered my scar with purple stripes." He tapped the purple streaks that covered his cheeks and the purple paint on his eyelids.

"Of course, now you're exuding chakra because of your Henge. That's a dead giveaway."

Okugi swiftly reached down to ruffle Kakashi's hair, smirking. "Only sensor-nin or those who are looking for it can feel it. You're just advantaged, Chibi."

Before Kakashi could argue _he wasn't that little_, Minato chuckled behind them. "You're still at it?" he asked, amused.

The chuunin's eyebrow twitched. "It's his fault, sensei."

Okugi shrugged. "It's not my fault you're little."

"Now, now, you just fought! There's no need to begin another round here, is there?" Minato was quick to calm his student down, raising his hands into the universal 'I come in peace' gesture.

Kakashi grunted and immediately stuck to his sensei's side as they got inside the BBQ.

* * *

Team Minato jumped to the top of the nearest tree and promptly collapsed.

Obito hissed at his injuries and shivered. "It stings," he commented through gritted teeth. Tears pooled in the corner of his eyes.

Rin crouched near him – wincing at her own bruises – to heal him. Light green chakra lit her hands and started closing Obito's gash above his knee. "Just stay still," she whispered when he started squirming.

The kunoichi turned around to Anko, who was leaning heavily on the tree trunk. "Anko, how bad is it?"

They knew that asking if she was alright was a stupid question. "The cuts aren't all that bad," the younger girl answered, then hissed as she tried to get into a more comfortable position. "A few tenketsu on my left arm are locked though and it hurts worse than I'd thought. Summoning Orochimaru-sensei's snakes cost me lots of chakra, too."

Rin closed up Obito's gash and started healing the cuts on his ribs. "How much?"

"Roughly… a third of my chakra? Without counting the other jutsu."

Obito gawked at her. "B-But that means… you're almost out of chakra!"

"Not yet, you baka," she hissed. "I doubt we can take on another team in an all-out fight today, but a soldier pill can take care of that if we need to."

Rin finished closing the last of Obito's cuts and walked to her other teammate. She narrowed her eyes at Anko's injuries as she healed them. "Putting your body under all this stress can have serious consequences, Anko," she warned with a frown. "Even if you have extra chakra with the pills, you'll have trouble tomorrow – and not just because of tiredness. Your chakra will flow slower. High speed movements will leave you dizzy because your chakra can't keep up, leaving your brain with a shortage of energy."

The older kunoichi turned to heal Anko's cut on her forearm and looked in her eyes. "If you find _no other choice_ but to use them, be sure to make it quick and get to me or another iryo-nin as soon as possible. Don't take more than one, no matter how bad the fight is – we can always try to make chuunin the next time."

Anko frowned at Rin. She remained silent only because she was too tired to put up an argument.

She already knew the consequences of using soldier pills when bordering chakra exhaustion and she also knew better than use more than one during a fight. Orochimaru-sensei had given her soldier pills for a reason, so Rin's concern was unnecessary.

It felt good though, knowing that someone else was watching her back.

Obito squinted at the sun. "It's midday already?"

His stomach grumbled.

"Eheh…" he blushed and hugged his abdomen as if to hide the evidence. His fingers grazed the spots Rin had just healed and he hissed. "I… I think, uh… Are you hungry? I've got some onigiri with me…"

Obito took a small scroll from one of his weapon pouches and unlocked it with his chakra. Last year Minato-sensei and Kushina had prepared a storage scroll for each member of Team Minato – blue with an orange edge for Obito, brown with a pink edge for Rin and dark blue with a white edge for Kakashi. He taught them how to seal and un-seal things and warned them not to exceed its maximum weight.

Obito sealed more than twenty kilograms of random stuff and the scroll shot a glass bowl full of water with a dead goldfish in his face. His orange goggles saved his eyes that time.

So Minato-sensei had lectured them – even Rin and Kakashi, who would have never done anything against their sensei's orders – on the risks of Fuinjutsu and recklessness put together, adding tales of lost limbs and accidental bombs to empathize the danger.

He also told them not to put anything alive in the storage seals either, because it wouldn't be when they take it out.

Obito devoured his onigiri – "Are you sure you don't want them? I've got plenty!" – while Anko ate hers with a couple sticks of dango and Rin un-sealed her bento box filled with rice, harumaki and fruit. The medic-in-training watched their teammates for any sign of discomfort but, apart from Anko's grimace and preference to use her right arm, she couldn't find anything else.

Rin couldn't deny healing them drained her, though.

Once they finished their lunch, they rested for an hour and a half before continuing north-east at a slower pace to find their Sun Scroll.

* * *

Minato took a few pieces of meat with his chopsticks from the grill to his dish.

"So, Okugi." The henged half-demon swallowed the food in his mouth and hummed. "You said you can do both Raiton and Katon jutsu."

"…Yes." At least Minato wasn't all that bothered by his Henge.

"I didn't think you could do Doton as well," the blond stated, "given that it's hardly your affinity. Did Kakashi-kun show you some ninjutsu?" _Do you remember how to do Doton jutsu because you were part of Kakashi or because you looked them up? _

Okugi snorted, grinning. "_I_ showed _him_ some ninjutsu."

"Not Doton," mumbled Kakashi. His food quickly disappeared behind his mask, but Minato was already used to that quirk and Okugi would be an hypocrite if he called him on it.

The jonin blinked. "Which ones?" he asked slowly.

The half-demon's grin widened.

"…Do I have to fear for Konoha?"

Okugi had a sip of his orange juice. "Nothing on that scale _yet_, Minato-san."

Kakashi rolled his eyes at the other's smirk. "Okugi showed me the Lightning Hound jutsu. He's just being an idiot, sensei."

Minato breathed a mock sigh of relief. "And here I was quivering in my sandals," he remarked wryly. A grin stretched on his face. "Where did you learn it, by the way?"

Shit. Kakashi didn't know that Raiton jutsu, Kurama didn't know _any_ Raiton jutsu and Okugi had to come up with a lie _fast_. "Kaminari no Kuni," he blurted out. "Those Kumo-nin are obsessed with Raiton, you know. Made me wonder if I could learn Fuuton. Fat chance." He chuckled at his own answer.

Minato raised an eyebrow. "I assume you've been on the wrong end of that jutsu many times, then."

Older Kakashi thought back to when he first learned the Lightning Hound. He was already in ANBU, fighting a Kumo nukenin who was terrorizing a town in Hi no Kuni. That man was stupid enough to underestimate Kakashi and had met his end on the wrong side of his Chidori – but not before setting most houses on fire with the people still inside.

He shrugged off the memory – though he could see that Chibi Kakashi was thinking about that too. He nudged him out of his 'reminiscence' through their telepathic link. "Just once. That shinobi was embarrassingly slow with his hand seals, so I had all the time in the world to memorize the sequence." With the Sharingan.

Minato hummed. "Is your main affinity Fire or Lightning?" _Are you more Kurama or more Kakashi?_

Uh. "Lightning," Okugi answered.

"Really?" the jonin mumbled, reaching for a the vegetables he had left on the grill in front of him. He had a smile on his lips. "I had thought your affinity was Fire, since you seem to like _burning things_."

Okugi cringed. "This isn't about the trees, is it? It was Chibi's fault."

Kakashi elbowed him in the ribs, glaring. "It was _your_ fault. I wasn't the only one, but it was your idea first."

"Of that I have no doubt. Okugi does look like the type to set trees on fire."

"Minato-saaan…" the half-demon pouted. "It wasn't _on purpose_… mostly…"

Kakashi smirked at the time-traveller, then turned to Minato. "What are we doing today, sensei?" he asked eagerly, not-so-subtly changing the topic.

"Hmm… I wanted to spar one-on-one with you, but since you've already done that this morning…"

The chuunin's eyes widened. Fighting one-on-one with sensei had always been the highlight of his training sessions! "I can fight against you, sensei! I'm not tired!"

Minato chuckled. "Too late – you'll have to learn the Rasengan first."

Okugi almost dropped his chopsticks at the sheer shock and giddiness he felt bubbling through their telepathic link. His own shock at Minato's words – _the Rasengan! Before he made jonin! This didn't happen before!_ – was also kind of overriding any other emotion he might have felt. There was a very familiar chakra too, running straight to their position, that rooted him on the spot with a gaping fish expression on his face.

"The _Rasengan_? Really, sensei?" A little less self-control and Kakashi would vibrate out of his seat.

Minato smiled at him and nodded. "Since we both have at least three days of time…"

"MAKE IT TWO – DATTEBANE!"

Kushina rushed from the BBQ's entry and barreled into Minato, hugging him tightly. She kissed him on his lips before he could get a word in edgewise. "I get to steal you for at least a _week_ after all this time apart and I'm sure 'Kashi-kun is alright with it, aren't you?" Kakashi opened his mouth. "_Of course_ you are! See, I'm right, I'm always right, of course I am – _dattebane!_"

"K-Kushina… you're back…!"

Many people were staring at them, but quickly resumed their business when the red-head planted another kiss on his lips. "Thought it was someone else?" she smirked at him.

The Yellow Flash turned an hilarious shade of red. "N-No… nobody can hope t-to match your… personality…" He tried to wiggle in Kushina's iron grip. "Uh, Kushina… c-can't breathe…"

**"****What's all this commotion?"**

Okugi almost jumped at Kurama's grumpy voice. He must've been woken up by her chakra. "Just Kushina."

**"…****Hn. She is." **The bijuu stretched and waved all his tails, yawning. **"She's been away for, what, little more than a month? She had been sent back before our last mission." **Kurama pulled a few memories from Kakashi's mind – ignoring his wince – and skimmed them. **"How impatient. She's never going to change, is she."**

Both Kakashis watched as Kushina buried Minato-sensei with her words, taking the empty seat by his side and smothering him with hugs and kisses.

"Do you want her to?"

Kurama grumbled something that sounded like, **"Wouldn't be Kushina without impatience."**

_'__Shouldn't we save Minato-sensei?' _Kakashi mumbled through their link. The bijuu took a long look at the connection that wasn't there when he fell asleep and promptly prodded at it. Both Hatake winced discreetly. _'He's going to teach me the _Rasengan_ and-' _dead people can't teach _'-it won't be like that other time!'_

Okugi remembered when – after seeing the Rasengan for the first time, having read lots of books and scrolls on chakra shaping and having listened to his sensei when he explained it – he had tried to create a Rasengan.

It exploded right in his face and Minato forbade him from learning dangerous jutsu without supervision. It still happened that, since curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back, Kakashi tried to learn other ninjutsu from either Tou-san's scrolls or the Library's.

(Sensei admitted how impressed he was when Kakashi pulled off an A-ranked ninjutsu, but always frowned when he was told that he had learnt it unsupervised.)

The Chidori was based on the Rasengan, yes, but it didn't require the maximum spin and compression of the user's chakra to destroy things and people. What gave the Chidori a chance to equal the Rasengan's power – it still depended if it was a Giant Rasengan or a normal one – was the Lightning nature. The Chidori was also more precise and made for a less messy death than a Rasengan to the face, but that was beside the point.

Minato taught it to Kakashi after he made jonin, although after the blond became Hokage he didn't have as much time to spare talking with him, much less training him.

Which was why he had assigned the distraught jonin to his ANBU guard when Rin died.

Kurama snorted at the first memory that popped out and ignored the string of thoughts dangling from it. **"Tch. Hatake already knows it, my previous host knew it – hell, it's a glorified version of the Bijuu Dama! I know it better than ****_anyone_****!"**

"But it's _Minato-sensei_."

The bijuu jabbed at Okugi with his chakra, prompting a small wince. **"He ****_copied_**** it. From ****_me_****."**

Older Kakashi pouted like a kicked puppy. "And I'm (was?) the Copy Ninja, do you have a problem with that?"

**"****At least you weren't passing off those jutsu as yours," **Kurama grumbled.

"'Kashi-kun, you didn't introduce me to your friend over there!" Kushina jabbed a finger in Older Kakashi's direction.

"He's Okugi," the chuunin answered. "He's actually-"

"-capable of introducing himself, Chibi, if you don't mind." He smiled at Kushina and ignored Kakashi's spike of annoyance. "I'm Okugi and I've joined this ball of sunshine-" he deftly avoided his younger self's punch to his left kidney and enjoyed both jonin's startled laughter, "-a couple of weeks ago during their last mission. I'm… kind of new around here."

Kushina's smile had a touch of sadness to it. "Transfer from another village?"

"Ehm… not really, Kushina-san," Okugi chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. How good it felt to have hands and opposable thumbs! "It's, well… kind of a long story."

"It's just Kushina for you and I'm sure we've got time for that!" the Uzumaki's violet eyes twinkled before she really looked at Okugi's wary expression and she frowned. "Unless you… do not?"

He shook his head. "I have time, but I'd rather not talk about it here." He pointedly glanced at the civilians chatting around them.

Kushina stood up abruptly.

"Then let's go home!" She shouted, yanking Minato to his feet with a quick thug. "My place!"

* * *

As it was, Kushina's apartment had gathered lots of dust during her weeks of absence.

She scrunched up her nose. "This won't do," she muttered and turned left to open her window. The woman ignored Kakashi and Okugi's confused stares – and Minato's exasperated one – and walked to the other side of the living room. She reached for her mild Repel Seal, pushed a little of her chakra into it and stepped back into the main hallway.

A _whoosh _later, all the dust in her living room was already floating down the window.

"There!" Kushina said brightly. "All better!"

The Kyuubi muttered something that sounded like, **"Only you would use a Repel Seal for such a menial, trivial task," **and **"So much wasted Fuinjutsu knowledge."**

The Uzumaki turned to her guests. "Everything's freshly cleaned! Now stay here and I'll prepare tea in a second, datteban- _Minato Namikaze_ don't you dare speak up and offer me your help, I'm not a damsel in distress! I can make tea by myself, dattebane!"

Minato quickly sunk into the nearest light purple couch, the one facing the door with the open window to his right and the kitchen to his left. Okugi and Kakashi exchanged a look and sat on the couch facing the window.

Usually Kushina would make tea the normal way – normal kettle, normal fire and so on. But she'd been away from Minato and Kakashi and apparently their new friend Okugi for too long and damn if she was going to waste a second of it!

She took her special white kettle – which she had personally decorated with Uzumaki red swirls back when she was especially bored as a genin – and poured water inside it. Kushina tapped the storage seal on its left side, releasing tea leaves directly into the kettle, then fed her chakra to the Heat Seal on its bottom until the seal shone blue.

Ta dah – tea ready in under two minutes thanks to the power of Fuinjutsu!

Kushina had the distinct impression Kurama was asking himself what he did to deserve this.

But back to her guests.

"Tea is ready!" she strode to the small table in the center of the living room, surrounded by three couches – one oriented to the kitchen, unoccupied, one that looked at the door, in which Minato was sitting, and the last one that looked at the window, where Kakashi and Okugi were.

Kushina quickly put her tray down on the table and filled four violet cups with her steaming tea. "There! Now I'm curious, Okugi – what brought you here to Konoha? If you don't mind telling us, of course!"

He had a worried frown on his face. "Can you activate your privacy seals? It's… a delicate matter."

Both of Kushina's eyebrows rose. She looked at Minato – _well? What kind of matter? – _and he just gestured to the walls with a pinched expression – _long story, just do what he said._

She did.

The ANBU grudgingly remained outside.

"I'm going to tell you my origins, but please, don't interrupt me." He winced. "Also… don't attack me just yet."

Kushina nodded. "Wouldn't dream of it."

Okugi sighed. "Alright. Roughly two weeks ago Minato's team, Anko and Hanju-san had been sent to investigate some disturbances around Shichi Town. Things went downhill very fast when we- _they_ faced four nukenin from Kiri. Long story short, they set sail to somewhere unknown with Kakashi under enough chakra suppressing seals to become a problem even for Kurama."

Kushina's cup cracked in her hands and her red hair lifted slightly. But she was restraining herself, which was a great feat by itself.

"Four days later, Kurama overloaded the suppressing seals with both his and Kakashi's chakra and caused the nukenin ship to blow up – I'm their condensed chakra. Like, technically, I'm their son." Okugi laughed awkwardly at his attempt at a joke.

Minato wished his cup were full of sake instead of tea. He didn't need _that_ mental image _at all_.

Kakashi face-palmed.

The tips of Kushina's hair reached her shoulders. Her hands shook and she put down her cup as delicately as possible.

"This isn't my, uh, real form." Okugi formed the Tiger hand seal and, a _puff _later, a miniature three-tailed white Kyuubi lounged on the couch instead of a brown-haired man. "_This_ is my real form. Anyway, a Kumo ship arrived after that and they took us…Kushina-san? Are you alright?"

Kushina stood up.

"You're asking me if I'm alright." Her voice was deceptively calm… for a second. "Am I _alright_?! Of course I'm not – DATTEBANE!" She slammed her right hand on the table, shattering it. Only Minato's fast reflexes saved the chakra-infused tea. "KIDNAPPED! 'KASHI-KUN, YOU'VE BEEN _KIDNAPPED_ TWICE AND NO ONE TOLD ME _ANYTHING_!"

Minato cringed. Kakashi sunk further into the couch. Okugi wrapped his tails defensively around himself.

Kushina grabbed the chuunin's shoulders and hugged him tightly. "I SHOULD ASK _YOU_ IF YOU ARE ALRIGHT! YOU COULD HAVE DIED, AND HOW WOULD MINATO HAVE TOLD ME THAT, UH?! HOW WOULD OBITO-CHAN HAVE TAKEN IT?! AND RIN-CHAN?! AND YOU WANT TO TRAIN _AGAIN_! HOW MANY DAYS AGO WAS THIS?!"

"A week-"

"AND YOU!" Kushina glared at Okugi. "YOU! YOU HAVE KYUU'S CHAKRA! WHY DIDN'T YOU BLOW 'EM UP – DATTEBANE?!"

Okugi was a quivering mass of fur under her blazing eyes and Killer Intent. "I was j-just born, and there were A and Bee…"

"THE LIGHTNING BROTHERS, OF COURSE!" Kushina tightened her grip on Kakashi, who squeaked a strangled "help!". "OF _COURSE_ THEY'D BE THERE! WHAT HAPPENED THEN?!"

"K-Kushina," Minato tentatively whispered, "I think 'Kashi-kun is, uh…"

Kushina spared a look at the boy trapped in her arms, dropped him on Okugi and proceeded to squeeze the life out of Minato instead. Her hair shaped into the Kyuubi's nine tails and the bijuu's chakra bubbled just beneath her skin.

The blond jonin hang limply in his girlfriend's arms and shot a pleading look in Okugi's direction. _Make it short and calm her down or I'll die._

Okugi couldn't let his sensei down, but everything after that was bad in Kushina's book. He could avoid some details, though. "T-Then we got to Kaminari no Kuni and… the Kumo-nin split us up after a day. Orochimaru and Team Hound found us and the ANBU brought us back to Konoha, and, uh…" He quickly searched for a way to sugarcoat it, but _there was no way to sugarcoat it_. "…Orochimaru discovered Kurama. He knows."

The past-Kyuubi's Killing Intent joined Kushina's. Minato was frozen in place by more than her iron grip.

* * *

Not even the privacy seals in place could stop the Killing Intent from leaking out.

Team Hound didn't know what to do to contain it.

_"__Taicho, orders?!" _Cat, the most sensible chakra-wise, signaled frantically.

Hound had no idea.

_"__Break in?" _Boar suggested from Hound's left.

Owl shook his head. _"And then?" _he signaled with as much sarcasm as he could muster.

_"__Capture?" _Cat chimed in, though what he meant was 'we use chakra suppressing seals'.

_"__On both?" _Owl signaled back. Everyone knew one of his eyebrows was raised. _"Not within our abilities."_

_"__Chakra levels are rising," _Cat gestured frantically. _"Orders?!"_

The privacy seals prevented any sound from leaving the room and would blast off anything with chakra – animals, shinobi and even civilians. It was just Hound's luck that they were _Uzumaki-approved_ privacy seals that were not keyed to any ANBU operative.

People on the street below looked up and shivered at the Killing Intent.

Hound pointed at Cat. _"Divert chakra. Keep me updated."_

The shorter man saluted and bounded over the Uzumaki's apartment walls before slapping a chakra suppressing seal on it. It had been Jiraya-approved, so it probably wouldn't interfere with the privacy seals and blow up in Cat's face.

The Captain pointed at Boar. _"Don't let anyone nearby."_

The burly ANBU operative nodded and put a genjutsu on himself to appear as a normal Konoha jonin. He jumped down and started steering those who looked too interested in the Uzumaki's apartment away with an excuse or another.

He pointed at Owl. _"Be ready to heal."_

The long-haired iryo-nin nodded as well and settled in a dark alley under Hound's position on the roof right in front of the older Jinchuuriki.

Cat's chakra spiked as he put another two chakra suppressing seals.

A couple of jonin and chuunin had gathered in front of Boar, who was curtly telling them to either 'stay calm because everything was under control' or 'move along' and even 'get lost'. He started exuding a bit of Killing Intent as well – whether to cover the Jinchuuriki's or because his patience had expired, Hound didn't know.

Owl squirmed.

Three minutes later, Cat gave Hound a thumbs up.

The Killing Intent died down along with the angry chakra, the crowd of gathered shinobi eventually left with a shrug or a glare in Boar's direction and all the ANBU operatives formed again a perimeter around the Uzumaki's apartment, sighing in relief.

Crisis averted.

* * *

Minato shuffled on the couch and winced as his ribs creaked in protest.

Kakashi lent him a bit of Kurama's _healing_ chakra – not the furious one Kushina exuded just a minute ago – and the blond jonin breathed out. When it wasn't tainted with anger and hatred, the Kyuubi's chakra felt… warm, almost pleasant.

Kushina was still fuming.

"I can't believe you three," she muttered with her arms crossed and _not crushing Minato's ribs, hurray_. "You didn't even think to tell me. Not a letter from you – I don't care if it's Hokage-sama who decides which letters are sent, _dattebane!_" She snapped when Kakashi opened his mouth. "You… you're lucky you're still _alive_, 'Kashi-kun! You faced not just A and Killer Bee, but the _Hachibi_! If you hadn't convinced him to give up you'd have been brought to _Kumogakure_! And- And- And where would that leave _us_?!"

Minato cringed as he remembered that Kushina almost got brought to Kumogakure, as well.

"We couldn't exactly send a postcard," Okugi remarked wryly under his breath.

"But now that's all in the past, right?" Kakashi intervened before Kushina could answer to _that_. "I'm fine, you're fine, he's fine, we're fine. We've done all we could, we got out, we're alive. We… didn't want to worry you when you were on the field." Cue the Puppy Pout no Jutsu.

She stared hard at the boy and the half-demon on her couch. With a sigh, she deflated. "…you're forgiven, dattebane. But don't you _dare_ pull this on me again, or Kami help you if you do!"

Kakashi, Okugi and Minato all nodded and breathed a sigh of relief.

"How was the situation on the other border?" Minato asked to change the topic.

Kushina downed her cracked cup of tea. That wasn't a good sign. "There were moles in both Suna and Konoha's ranks and Jiraya sent me to deliver the message personally to Hokage-sama."

"Moles?" Minato's eyebrows creased in concern.

The redhead nodded. "Five Konoha-nin and seven Suna-nin were backstabbed before we got them," she hissed, "and they let at least three Iwa teams through when they had guard shift. My Hexagonal Detection Barrier could be deactivated only from the inside, and I've been so _stupid_ as to tell them! I thought I could _trust_ them!" She proceeded to smack her forehead. "Stupid, stupid, STUPID!"

Okugi carefully avoided stepping on the broken table and rubbed his nose on Kushina's left knee.

She hauled him on her lap and started stroking his white fur instead of smacking herself.

Minato shuffled closer to his girlfriend and hugged her with his left arm, hauling Okugi's hind legs and tails on his lap.

Kakashi sat on the armrest to Kushina's left, apparently embarrassed and with no clue how to calm her. How could one erase her self-loathing but Kushina herself?

It was three in the afternoon when all four of them left the apartment to reach Training Ground 12 at the top of the Hokage Mountain.

It was seven in the evening when they finished shattering every boulder they could get their hands on either with chakra, ninjutsu, brute force, seals or Exploding Tags, feeling marginally better after blowing off steam.

* * *

_That night_

Team Minato did eventually find the position of the Wind Sun Scroll: at the top of the tallest tree, which they couldn't have seen because of some long-range genjutsu seal, there was a little niche with the carved kanji of 'Kaze'.

There was only one problem.

The Sun Scroll wasn't there.

Obito was shaking with barely-restrained rage, but tears were leaking out his eyes. "Damn it," he hissed, punching the tree and hurting his knuckles in the process, "_Damn it_! We're too late!"

Rin put a hand on his shoulder. "Obito, this isn't our last chance, and you know that. We can always try again-"

"Are you _giving up_?" Anko glared at her teammates. "This isn't over until we lose every trace of the Sun Scroll, Rin, Obito!"

"We're not trackers, Anko!" He jerkily put his orange goggles over his headband and wiped the tears from his eyes.

Rin's eyes widened. "Don't tell me…!"

Obito looked between the kunoichi – Anko had a smug smile on her face, while Rin's jaw was slightly unhinged. "What?" he turned to his violet-haired teammate. "You _know_ how to get the scroll?" He didn't bother to hide the hope bubbling in his chest.

Anko nodded. "Chiisai, Bakuchiku and Raimei are my snake summons. We know the Wind Scroll and our enemies have been here – my snakes just need to catch a scent and follow it. Unless the other genin crossed the river or they've left too much time ago – which isn't possible, we're barely at the end of the second day – we can track them down." Her smirk was positively murderous by the end of her speech.

Hope trampled the despair that had gathered in Obito's chest. "What are we waiting for, then?" he said enthusiastically, "Summon them!"

"Obito!" Rin frowned at him and he winced – what did he do wrong now? "Anko still has low chakra!" She stopped and glanced back and forth between her teammates. "Unless…"

The other kunoichi nodded. "I have enough to summon Bakuchiku, the best tracker out of them. But to have enough chakra to fight after that… Obito, how much chakra do you have?"

The boy blinked at the strange question. "Uh, well… more than half my full energy? Three out of four? I still have a lot." He frowned and crossed his arms. "But I can't summon your snakes. I don't even _have_ a summon."

"Your main affinity is Fire, isn't it?" Obito nodded. "It's mine too."

"Yeah, well, what does this have to do with-"

Rin connected the dots pretty quickly. "You want me to do a _chakra transfusion?_"

"Exactly." Anko grinned and nodded at her teammate's answer. "Obito has the right chakra, but not enough control-" "Hey!" "-while you have lots of control, but not the right chakra. Orochimaru-sensei told me chakra transfusions can be done on the field with the right control – Sarune-san taught you that, right?"

"…Yes." Rin took a deep breath. She didn't mention that Orochimaru was probably still used to work with medics of Tsunade-sama's caliber. "Let's do it."

The medic-nin in training turned to her male teammate. "Obito, put your hands between Anko's shoulder blades," she ordered. Catching sight of Rin the Medic, the Uchiha obeyed without a word.

Rin put her hands over Obito's, missing his deep blush in the darkness. "Now gather your chakra to your hands and push it out _slowly_. Keep the flow steady or you'll make my work here a lot harder. When I pull chakra from you it may itch or sting, but don't you _dare_ move your hands until I say so. Got it, Obito?"

Obito quickly nodded twice. "Got it, Rin."

He followed her instructions and slowly pushed chakra from his hands. Rin's hands glowed green and his fingers twitched – she wasn't joking when she said it may itch or sting! It felt like a hundred mosquitos had stung his palms, or like that time Kakashi felt like adding more chakra to his Lightning pokes. Or maybe even like that time two years ago when Kakashi felt like being an awful jerk and electrocuted him when he was taking a bath.

"Steady, Obito!" Rin hissed. Rin the Sweet Girl had been put away and Rin the Medic had taken over, and Obito was a twitch away from disobeying her orders.

He gritted his teeth. No, Rin and Anko and their exam depended on his focus! He could do this!

After a minute that Obito could have sworn lasted an hour, Rin whispered, "This should be enough."

The older kunoichi let down her jutsu and Obito stopped pushing his chakra out. Phew, was he feeling drained.

Anko clenched and unclenched her fists, as if testing them out. She grinned. "It is. Thank you." She nicked her left thumb with a kunai and went through the hand seals of Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey and Ram. "Summoning jutsu!"

She slammed her hand on the branch and a white snake with green eyes appeared. It was roughly sixty centimeters long but reached only Anko's knee because most of its body was on the tree's bark.

"You called, mother?" it – he? – hissed.

Obito spluttered at the form of address, but Rin quickly shut him up before he could inadvertently start a fight with the snake.

"You wouldn't be here if I didn't, would you, Chiku?" Anko snorted and reached down to caress his head. "I have something I need you to track – someone grabbed the scroll over there. We need to find it."

His forked tongue slithered out twice as he crept to the niche where the Wind Sun Scroll was. He barely spared a glance in Obito and Rin's direction. "A girl. Had eaten ssssshrimps before grabbing the sssssscroll," Bakuchiku hissed before returning to his summoner. "I can find her, mother. Follow me."

With a strength Obito nor Rin suspected he could have, the snake leapt down and started slithering and jumping from tree to tree.

After Anko's amused, "If you're done gaping, we have a scroll to find!" Team Minato followed Bakuchiku in the middle of the night.

* * *

They reached their enemies' camp within two hours. It was almost one o'clock.

Obito had protested that he couldn't possibly fight when he was half asleep, but Anko had insisted that if they didn't find the Wind Sun Scroll now they had very little chances to get it without fighting. A surprise night attack was more effective than one in broad daylight, especially since they were weakened from their other fight.

He couldn't fault that point, though he was still tired.

"I shouldn't have pulled so much chakra from you," Rin commented, her eyebrows creased in concern.

Obito smiled blearily, waving her soon-to-be-spoken apology away. "Nah, don't worry, Rin-chan – what Hokage would I be if I were downed by a little chakra transfusion?"

His teammate rolled her eyes, but he could see her shoulders were less tense and her expression a little clearer.

Team Minato and Bakuchiku stopped briefly when they started seeing traps between the branches and buried in the ground. They decided to let Rin and Obito – since they were the trap experts of the four – lead the way to the center of the camp, where their Sun Scroll was most likely to be.

They didn't trigger a trap. After all, they had been used to Kakashi's and _Minato-sensei's_. Genin- and chuunin-level traps were nothing in comparison.

The enemy team was huddled at the roots of a tree – one was awake and guarding their three backpacks while the other two were sleeping to his left. There was a small fire lit in front of the guard, which provided barely enough illumination to see it was a boy with three dark tomoe painted on his right cheek.

The bushes were thick enough around them, as was the canopy above the genin.

Rin hummed. "So, planning time. The scroll must be either in the backpacks or in someone's clothes. How do we get it without an all-out fight?"

"I can summon Raimei," Anko suggested. "He's smaller than Chiku – sorry, you're not very stealthy – and can easily get behind that guy to knock him out. I won't even spend that much chakra."

Obito looked at her warily. "What poison are you going to use?"

Anko rolled her eyes. "Nothing lethal, Obito, don't worry," she drawled. "Only Chiisai can kill with a bite. Raimei can put him to sleep and, if everything goes to hell, Chiku can strangle him _not to death_."

"How long does it take for the sleeping poison to work?" asked Rin.

"Half a minute. He'll wake up in a few hours – enough for us to find the scroll and get away. We just need to hold him still and don't make him sound the alarm before he falls asleep."

Obito mumbled something like, "How do you know it takes half a minute," but went ignored by his teammates.

"Alright," Rin said, nodding. "We get behind him. Raimei bites him and we hold him down until the poison makes effect. Obito and I can start searching for the scroll in the backpacks. Anko checks if the 'guard' has it. If he doesn't, we'll see if the others do."

"How do we check the other two? They'll wake up if we start… ehm…" he blushed.

"We knock 'em out before they wake up, duh." Anko rolled her eyes at Obito. "We just need to be quick."

The Uchiha nodded. Time to carry out their plan.

* * *

Everything was fine… until it wasn't.

Anko and Obito had dragged the poisoned genin further into the bushes, so that they wouldn't trip on his body or something equally embarrassing when they looked for the scroll. The boy with the tomoe tattoos didn't have the scroll.

Rin rummaged through a light blue backpack, Obito shoved his hands in a green-and-brown sack, Anko was injecting some Fukanzen Suimin into another sleeping genin and Bakuchiku was strangling the other into a deeper state of unconsciousness.

So it was with no small amount of shock that both dissolved into a puddle of water.

Anko cursed. She quickly scanned her surroundings, and she could feel barely a prickle at the edge of her senses… fifty meters to her left. Why didn't she notice them sooner?! They must have known someone would come after the Sun Scroll, and planned to attack them – they even sacrificed one of their teammates to keep their ruse from being discovered too easily!

"Anko, look!" Obito waved at her something that looked like the Wind Sun Scroll. But that hum of chakra…! "We've got-"

Rin kicked the scroll out of his grasp and into the air, where it exploded in a shower of fire and sparks. She must have noticed that chakra as well, Anko mused. The younger kunoichi didn't know if she could have done the same, since she was too far to kick it away in time.

"Suiton: Water Bullet!"

Team Minato dashed to their left, taking cover behind the nearest trees to avoid the high-pressure water that hit the small clearing in front of the roots. The black Raimei and Bakuchiku looked at their summoner for orders.

"Raimei, stay in my right sleeve." The snake nodded and wrapped herself around Anko's right arm, hiding herself in her sleeve. "Chiku, in the other. If it looks like you're going to be hit you're dismissed. I don't want either of you to get hurt, got it?" Both summons flickered their tongues on her skin.

Ten kunai rained on their position and all three genin jumped upwards to avoid them and confront their attackers.

They were a boy and a girl, carbon-copies of the Water Clones that slept near the tree roots.

The girl had long fair hair – she couldn't tell if they were strawberry blonde or golden brown – that were tied in a thick braid behind her head. She seemed to be wearing a green dress with small white decorations on the seams. Blondie was also wearing high boots and had armguards that matched her dress.

The boy had short dark hair held in place by his headband. He wore a dark blue sleeveless shirt and short black pants. He had the kanji for 'brave' painted on his left shoulder.

Rin and Anko clashed with the two genin while Obito continued his jump, landed on another branch and threw himself at Blondie's back with a small burst of chakra.

The girl pushed Rin away and she kicked Obito away with her left foot. Rin was not so easily deterred and charged at Blondie with a few quick punches and kicks. The Uchiha joined her and Brave Boy hurled two kunai at him, halting him in his tracks for a second.

But that left him open for Anko to cut his outstretched arm with her poisoned kunai. Not that he knew it was poisoned with a liquefied version of the Seishi Hana.

Brave Boy yelped and slashed with renewed fury at the kunoichi, whose smug smile did nothing but anger him further. It must be frustrating for him, Anko thought, not knowing why she was smirking like a cat who swallowed the canary.

That thought made her smirk widen.

Anko saw when Brave Boy started shaking and, feeling humorous, she tripped him. The genin flailed his arms jerkily as he tried to regain his balance and Anko poked him with enough force to send him falling down the branch. She snorted.

Bakuchiku flickered his tongue to show his amusement. "That wasssss eassssy, mother."

The kunoichi chuckled and saw that Rin and Obito had overwhelmed Blondie, who laid unconscious on the branch. She had a mild burn on her right thigh and a few kunai marks on her arms, but she'll live. The medic-in-training was going through her pouch and the hidden pockets in her clothes, since the Uchiha probably felt too embarrassed to do it.

The white snake poked his head through Anko's sleeve. "It'ssss her, mother – ssssshe hassss the sssscroll!"

Not a second later, Rin found the Wind Sun Scroll tucked somewhere in Blondie's dress.

"Is that it?" Obito asked dubiously. "It's not another trap, is it?"

Rin shook her head. "Not that I can tell. I can't feel any chakra coming from it." She opened it and, scanning its contents, a smile bloomed on her lips. "It's the code!"

"Yatta! We did it, we did it!" cheered Obito.

"We just have to actually decode our Moon Scroll, find the location written there and memorize the passphrase," Anko listed, counting on her fingers.

Obito's kicked puppy expression was priceless.

"Well," Rin said, "I think that now we should rest and wait until dawn to decode it. If we light a fire in the middle of the night, other teams might see us."

Though Anko wasn't thrilled at the possibility another team might pull the same plan on them, she saw how tired Obito and Rin looked. The Uchiha had given her his chakra, while the other kunoichi had smaller reserves than Anko.

She supposed a bit of sleep wouldn't be bad, after all.

Team Minato reached the top of another easily defendable tree and, after Anko told her snakes to keep guard and wake them if there was any trouble, they fell asleep.

* * *

**A whole day in Konoha! Wohoooo!**

**I suppose the last genin team are idiots? Who knows! Thing is, not all teams have the same intelligence level so. Yeah. They're idiots. **

**Minato is sort-of-worried and sort-of-amused, buuuuut... eh. He kinda rolls with it. Okugi isn't a danger, Kakashi is 'fine'... and Kushina has returned with The News! Guess Older Kakashi should worry about where Jiraya has gone?**

**I hope Kushina's reaction was mostly in-character… I kept thinking about that episode of Tsunade's alternate world in the Mugen Tsukuyomi, where Kushina was fretting over Naruto and… this kind of happened. Poor Minato! XD**

**Bakuchiku called Anko 'mother' just 'cause he's a young snake Anko had looked after for all his life, so... I just kind of thought of how baby ducks identify as 'mum' the first living being they see after getting out of their egg. I don't even know if I remember correctly... :P**

**If you feel something is out of place, just tell me! There's always room for improvement, and if you tell me now I won't make the same mistake in the future! Think of all the Chapters you'll save! ;)**

**Beware of the Kitsune's rage!**

**Shiiroi Kitsune21**


	40. Chapter 39: 'Stranger' Danger

**I'm actually proud of this title! XD I'm so creative…**

**As always, thanks to all of you who fav'ed and followed this story! Thanks to those who reviewed the last Chapter: Unterflieger, Guest, like-a-freaking-fangirl, AngelicRiver, anaisonfire, Prescripto13, cloystreng, NarutoxHonoka, Bindi-fox, Laniidae1, Shadow-Shinobi666, Ominous Rain, Sailor Pandabear and Tamani!**

**Special thanks to loyal reader and reviewer Bindi-fox for supporting/putting up with my crazy plot twisting! (No spoilers for 'em shhhh ;) )**

**Bindi-fox: Okugi is the best for Pet Therapy! XD The Past-Kyuubi has a lot of musings to do about him, buuut they're not here, eheh… Glad that I have you hooked! :D**

**Laniidae1: Naruto was already dead and gone, so… yeah, no life, no chakra, no time-travel for Naruto. I just have a knack for killing him off in two stories out of four :(**

**Tamani: Minato is just so ****_done_**** with Kakashi getting hurt/poisoned/kidnapped every time he steps out of Konoha that every little thing makes him go into Mother Hen mode XD **

**Warning for… you guessed it… cliffhanger! 'Cause the whole chunk would've been too long to put, so I'm cutting it in half. Also, Kakashi is kind of distracted to pay too much attention to the fights. Eheheh ;)**

* * *

**Chapter 39: 'Stranger' Danger**

A grueling two hours after Team Minato woke up, they finally managed to decode their Moon Scroll.

"Finally!" Obito shouted, stretching his arms over his head. "This was horrible!"

Anko rolled her eyes. "It was just a matter of switching a couple characters-"

"Are you kidding?! We had to switch twenty characters and _ten kanjis_-"

"-with another, and everything was neatly written on the Sun Scroll-"

"-and my head is killing me, ugh! All this work is not for me…"

"Well, if you want to become Hokage – as you so often told us – then you need to do some mental exercise!" Anko almost hissed at him. "It's not all about physical strength, you know!"

Rin put herself between her teammates. While she couldn't argue that decoding the Moon Scroll was more difficult than it should have been, it was no reason to snap at each other like that. "Guys, please! We're all in the same team!" Oh, how often she had used that argument to stop Obito and Kakashi from tearing each other's throats. "Besides, we've finished decoding the scroll!"

The medic-in-training picked the scroll up for emphasis.

"What does it say, Rin?" Obito asked her.

"It says… 'Down the crack, in the bowels of the earth, shrouded in shadows he'll be waiting.'" The kunoichi frowned at that.

"Sounds ominous," Anko snorted. Obito adjusted his goggles nervously.

"'Passphrase: a tree cannot grow strong if its leaves scatter to the winds, but it can survive the harsh winter if they fall near his roots.'" Rin repeated the sentence a few more times under her breath before passing the scroll onto Anko, who was the nearest.

The younger kunoichi squinted at the katakana and the odd kanji here and there. "This sounds awfully like a metaphor."

Rin nodded. "Thought so."

Obito peeked over Anko's shoulder as she shrugged. "Well, we _are_ at war," she stated.

"'A tree cannot grow strong if its leaves scatter to the winds, but it can survive the harsh winter if they fall near his roots…'" The Uchiha read out loud. He shook his head. "Must we really memorize it? It's long… and it sounds…"

"…Ominous, like I said." Anko shoved the scroll in Obito's face. "All of us need to memorize it, just in case."

"We also need to find where this place is," Rin added, frowning. "'In the bowels of the earth' is surely somewhere underground. It must be deeper and more hidden than a foxhole, too. A cave?"

Anko shook her head. "It's 'down the crack', though. Sounds like a we should just look down to find it. It's obviously a dark place where we need to find someone."

"Didn't Genma say something about a burrow?" Rin suggested.

"He told us it was a waste of time."

"Just because their scroll wasn't there," she pointed out.

Obito nodded, looking up from the scroll. "Rin's right – we should go there." He shrugged at Anko's frown. "It isn't like we have other leads."

Orochimaru's apprentice pouted. "_Fine_. We just have to cross the swamp again, what could possibly go wrong?" she droned sarcastically.

* * *

Unexpectedly, nothing went wrong.

They snuck around another team, whose members were speeding around the Poison Swamp to find their location, but other than that they didn't run into any trouble.

The burrow was big enough for adults to crawl through, and it was strangely dry and dusty instead of muddy like Anko had expected. It was half-hidden by a bush of non-poisonous berries that had been trampled not too long ago – probably a result of Gai's search – but other than that, it was rather hard to miss. It was one of the rare spots of dry earth in the whole place, even with a few cracks on the ground.

They kept their formation of Obito-Rin-Anko as they ventured inside the hole, just in case someone thought it funny to put a trap there.

Obito and Anko focused their Fire chakra over their palms to light their narrow surroundings. The Uchiha sometimes hissed as he lost control of his flame and burned his hand.

"Well, at least the description was apt," the younger kunoichi remarked. "Down the crack, check. Bowels of the earth, check. Shrouded in shadows, double check."

"Can't you summon Chiku and tell him to investigate?" Obito lamented from the front.

Rin rolled her eyes. "And make her exhaust her chakra? Or make me drain yours? Obito, we need all the energy we can. Besides, even if this is not the right place, we still have another day to go."

"I just hope we're not the last ones," Anko grumbled. She looked warily around them. "This… this better be our location. I don't want to spend more seconds than necessary here."

Rin shot her a concerned look when Anko rubbed absently her left arm.

They continued, their knees and backs bent to fit the narrow tunnel. It didn't get narrower, for which all of them – Anko in particular – were grateful. It was also suspiciously even.

"…Rin, my knees are killing me…"

"I've used most of my chakra to heal us up yesterday, Obito, just keep going…"

Obito stopped.

Anko peeked over Rin's shoulder. "Why did you stop?" She asked, hiding the tremor in her voice.

The ground trembled and crumbled under their feet. Before they could decide if they should move forward or turn back and flee, the earth gave out with a sharp _crack _and the genin fell below.

"AAAAAAAAH!"

"FUCK!"

"DAMN IT!"

Team Minato fell ten meters below on a pile of rocks, Obito sprawled over Rin and Anko in an undignified impromptu dog-pile. Pebbles fell on them, but they weren't crushed by boulders or the like. They had their breath knocked out of them and gasped for air, coughing when dust reached their lungs.

"Wind location reached," a familiar voice drawled in front of them.

* * *

Kakashi watched as his teammates untangled themselves and gaped at him once they were standing.

"Bakakashi?!" Obito spluttered. His face was beet red. "What-"

The chuunin held up a hand. "Passphrase first."

The Uchiha opened his mouth to retort but Rin intervened first. "A tree cannot grow strong if its leaves scatter to winds, but it can survive the harsh winter if they fall near its roots," she quoted.

Kakashi clapped his hands and eye-smiled. "Congratulations, you passed the second exam."

The genin blinked at him. Then Obito laughed and, as if a dam had just been broken, the two kunoichi chuckled as well, relieved. They passed!

"We did it!" Obito whooped. "Finally! No more decoding scrolls!"

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "Even if we get a mission that requires decoding scrolls, I doubt we'd let you do it," he stated. "You're just the type to blow doors open instead of picking the locks."

"I can do stealth, Bakakashi!" Obito jabbed a finger in his direction. "We avoided that other team! And we wouldn't have been discovered last night if those two weren't Water Clones! And we-"

"-narrowly avoided getting defeated by a team looking for the Water Scroll," Kakashi deadpanned. The other boy flushed, ready to continue his speech. "Sarune-san told Minato-sensei, me and Kushina."

"Kushina-nee is back?" Rin's eyes sparkled in the dim illumination provided by his torches.

Kakashi nodded. "Just yesterday."

"How is she? Is she alright?"

The chuunin nodded again. "Kushina is fine. The first thing she did when she saw Minato-sensei was to hug him, even when her grip bruised sensei's ribs."

Obito laughed. "That's our Kushina-nee!"

Rin joined her teammate. "I hope sensei's alright," she chortled.

"Kushina Uzumaki, right?"

Obito _looked_ at Anko. "You don't know Kushina-nee?!" he gasped.

She stared at him, unimpressed.

He rubbed the back of his head. "Eheh… right. I just thought, you know…"

"It's fine." Anko shook her head, sighing. "But now that we're here, what do we do? What do _you_ do?" She asked, pointedly looking at the chuunin.

Obito pouted at the change, but stayed silent.

Kakashi took a scroll out of his chuunin vest. "Now that you're here and you're still standing, I reverse-summon you to the tower in the Training Ground 44. It's tradition that the Preliminary matches are held there."

"They're probably low on chakra," Okugi pointed out. "Don't you want to help them?"

_'__And invalidate the Prelims? Unless they fall over, I won't. They have two days including today to rest, anyway. They're fine.'_

"Stand closer to me."

The genin walked over to their chuunin teammate.

Kakashi let the scroll open on the ground – revealing the seal drawn on the paper – and flashed through four hand seals before slamming his hand on the kanji for 'Summon'.

"Reverse Summoning jutsu!"

* * *

_Two days later_

A man with short straight mud-brown hair surveyed the fifteen genin in front of him.

"I'm Ryuji Saiku, proctor of the third part of the Chuunin Exams, including the preliminary matches," he announced to the tired-looking kids. Most of them were either from a clan or had a legendary teacher. Only a small part were non-clan genin who had gotten through the exams due to a mix of luck and talent.

Starting from Ryuji's right, there were Team Jiyo, Fuuyuki, Hiko, Minato and Hatsumi with their respective sensei.

Team Jiyo consisted of Maito Gai – exceptional taijutsu, barely-sufficient ninjutsu and non-existent genjutsu, son of Maito Dai – Ebisu and Genma Shiranui, who weren't from any relevant Konohan clan. Ebisu was sharp, but from what Ryuji had seen on the screens he preferred to stick to basic tactics. An 'it worked once, it'll work again' mentality. Genma was good with senbon and was quick on his feet, but he still had room to grow. Jiyo could have done better with his heavy-hitter team, if Ryuji had anything to say.

Team Fuuyuki had Kurenai Yuuhi – a promising genjutsu-oriented kunoichi – Asuma Sarutobi, the Hokage's son who was _not to be favored in any way_, and Raido Namiashi, whose kenjutsu ability was very good for a chuunin-wannabe. Fuuyuki was a skilled jonin, but those genin couldn't rely on only one of their strengths to get back alive from the battlefield.

Team Hatsumi consisted of clan powerhouses. There was Satoshi Uchiha, a katana-wielding kunoichi who had awakened her Sharingan a few months ago; Takai Hyuuga, whose ability in the Gentle Fist style was envied even by a few members of the Main Branch; and Daku Inuzuka with his ninken Kiiroimaru, with stubbornness and huge stamina written in his blood. Hatsumi Ryuu was a terrific sensor-nin, being related to Hikari Ryuu of the Barrier. They had also arrived first with their decoded Water Moon Scroll.

Team Minato had Obito Uchiha and Rin Nohara, but had to borrow Anko Mitarashi from Orochimaru-sama himself to complete the team because one Kakashi Hatake was already chuunin. Obito had large chakra reserves and had the basis to become a great frontline fighter, but he still had lots of work to do. Awakening his Sharingan, for one, but behaving more like a shinobi and less like a child would be just as good. Rin Nohara was a medic first and foremost, but she had picked up senbon and poisons along the way – something that involved the last misadventures of her team. She would become an invaluable support if she were given the chance to continue with her studies.

Anko Mitarashi, the Snake Sannin's sole apprentice, had already signed the Snake Summoning Contract, could brew poisons from the right plants, had a few Katon jutsu under her belt, had quick reflexes and a sharp mind. She would do very well in the assassination sector.

Minato Namikaze and Orochimaru were not people _anyone _wanted to annoy, much less anger. Anyone connected to them was either respected – with the exception of the Hatake and the Uchiha boy, but nobody had the guts to badmouth them in their sensei's presence – or a target for enemy shinobi who were stupid, cocky or had a death wish.

Team Hiko was the newly-approved Ino-Shika-Cho. Amari Nara, Koto Yamanaka, Sishimi Akimichi. It was strange that both Amari and Sishimi were kunoichi and only Koto was male – given the male-female ratio in the shinobi ranks – but they were a team, they worked, and that was enough. Hiko Sarutobi wasn't a kunoichi to trifle with either, that was for sure.

Feeling that his stare had unnerved them enough, Ryuji spoke up again. "Both the Preliminary matches and the real third test will be held here, in this room," he empathized, waving at the tiled floor, the ceiling and the elevated hallway stretching on the walls, "because we're at war, and broadcasting what you can do to every spy who happens to hear about the Exams isn't advised. It's also a security nightmare and we don't need publicity to get missions nowadays."

He could swear Daku Inuzuka snickered, but got elbowed in the ribs by Satoshi Uchiha.

"The names of those who'll fight will be randomly picked and projected on this screen," Ryuji pointed at said screen, hung over the oversized hands locked into the Ram hand seal. "When your name is displayed, you get down here and fight. You may give up if you see you are blatantly outmatched. If anyone from the platform intervenes in your favor, you're disqualified, but you'll still be alive. The match begins and ends when I say so. Anyone wants to give up?"

Nobody breathed.

"Excellent. The first combatants are…" The screen rang and he turned around. "Anko Mitarashi and Daku Inuzuka. Everyone else, get to the platforms."

* * *

Hatsumi was staring at him, Kakashi knew.

But Minato-sensei and Orochimaru's combined presence was enough to deter her. After all, who in their right mind approached Minato's youngest student saying, "Hi, your chakra is weird and there's something fundamentally wrong with it. Are you alright? Shall we get you checked?"

"That's very amusing."

**"****It won't be if she too discovers me," **growled Kurama.

Okugi was most likely rolling his eyes. "I meant his thoughts. And she'll probably just ask sensei, Orochimaru or Hokage-sama. She'll get vague answers either way. How is Anko doing?"

The kunoichi was currently jumping around creatively to avoid Daku's Gatsuga. She had rested and healed quickly after Team Minato had passed the test, but she was probably waiting for the right moment to strike. Orochimaru was not one to play with his prey if his interest wasn't piqued by their skills – Anko had surely taken the rule 'if you can strike, strike first' to heart.

But they had also fought against each other before, so they knew part of each other's tricks.

Daku had lots of stamina and brute force – the Inuzuka fight style played on strength, speed and agility after all. However, Anko was not a kunoichi to underestimate when it came to agility and cunning. She'll come up with a plan to take him down soon enough.

"Well, that does sound like her." He had the impression that Okugi was nodding approvingly.

_'__It's creepy when you just eavesdrop on my thoughts. Not to mention rude.' _

The time-traveller shrugged. "I did ask you. It's not my fault you think loudly."

**"****He wasn't, or I'd have smacked him into oblivion," **Kurama grumbled. **"If you don't want ****_me_**** to crush ****_you_****, you'd better keep it down. I'm still gathering the chakra ****_I saved your life with_****."**

Okugi's presence dimmed slightly. "Alright," he whispered, "I'll just… talk very quietly… how did the Rasengan lessons go? I was kind of busy with testing my ninjutsu limits."

Kakashi tuned out Obito's loud cheering. _'Good enough. I've passed the rotation stage without much trouble – and I had soaked my chuunin vest in the process… as for the power stage, Kurama refused to help because-'_

**"****You wanted your sensei to teach you, you get only your sensei." **Kurama's eyes cracked open to glare at both of them.** "I'm still replenishing my tails and none of you know how much focus you need to absorb natural energy and convert it in chakra!"**

_'…__of that. I just need to add more rotation until the rubber balloon blows up. How did you-' _Kakashi stopped midsentence when Okugi's chakra buzzed.

"…what did we want to do about Danzo again?"

Kakashi frowned at the non-sequitur.

**"****Skin him alive, burn him and stomp on his ashes," **growled the bijuu. But he seemed to sense his unease. **"We had decided to infiltrate his ROOT base after the Third Shinobi War ends once again. If we find evidence of his crimes, good. We get the information to the Hokage in charge one way or another and keep piling it on his desk until they have to deal with that bastard. If they don't, we can always go with my plan to skin him. What happened?"**

"I maaaaaay have been followed by two ROOT shinobi to Training Ground 24. Good ol' Team Hound is with you, so I get two ANBU. Sent by Danzo." Okugi projected unease, anger and… giddiness.

Kakashi barely managed not to sigh in his hands. _'What are you going to do?' _he groaned in his mindscrape, but he was sure both time-travellers could feel his alarm and dread. This was _motherfucking Danzo_ they were talking about. A misstep and things could go to hell in a heartbeat.

"Me? Nothing wrong. I'll just vanish from under their noses, follow them when they run in circles… oh, look! They revealed themselves!"

**"****Hatake, don't you ****_dare_****."**

They could feel his 'hand' waving dismissively in their faces. "I want to see what the old warmonger is up to, don't worry. Besides, I'll have a front-row view of his base. Oh, you're inviting me! And please, tell this poor clueless summon, why?"

Kurama sighed heavily. **"If he gets himself discovered as a time-traveller, I swear I'm going to kill him."**

Kakashi distracted himself from his older self's sheer stupidity/opportunism by watching how Anko's taijutsu was quick enough to rival the Inuzuka's. She ducked under a clawed swipe and punched him in the gut before quickly leaning back to avoid the ninken's bite. Daku wasn't so easily deterred and jumped at her with a snarl.

Anko somersaulted back and jumped high, kawarimi'ed herself with something – Daku's backpack? – when the Inuzuka duo attempted another Gatsuga and formed some quick hand seals.

"Katon: Phoenix Flowers!"

"Old trick!" Daku barked at her, avoiding the fireballs and denting the walls in the process.

Anko stuck to the wall on the opposite side of Kakashi and threw twenty kunai at him. Four of them had smoke bombs that blew up on the ground and the kunoichi quickly hid herself in the mist.

"Ha! You think you can hide from my nose?" he taunted and dived straight into the yellowish cloud.

Kakashi's nose twitched at the smell. _'Isn't this… Seishi Hana?'_

Kurama catalogued the smell, rummaged through some memories and snorted. **"It is. She must've already begun building her immunity to poison."**

Both Anko and Daku leapt back as the cloud cleared.

She was cradling her ribs though, and Rin gasped.

"What is it, Rin?!" Obito asked frantically.

"Anko's got cracked ribs, if not worse!" she whispered to him, "She must get to a medic as soon as possible!"

"She can deal with the pain momentarily," Orochimaru stated.

Rin's shocked gaze shot to him. "Orochimaru-sama, if she keeps fighting it might get worse! Her ribs could pierce her lungs if they're broken!"

"Don't you think I already knew that?" he hissed spitefully, turning cold amber eyes to the genin. Rin wilted under his gaze, while Minato's eyes snapped to him with a clear warning of _back off. _Orochimaru crossed his arms, uncaring. "Anko has received an injury, but she has won the moment that boy breathed that pollen."

"What, is he allergic?" Obito's knee-jerk joke was already out before the fact _he just attempted to joke about a serious situation with Orochimaru-sama _made it through his head. He too squirmed under the Snake Sannin's piercing glare.

Minato's chakra flared briefly in a _fight someone your own size _aura. Hatsumi stared at them.

"Of course not," Orochimaru seethed. "One of the smoke bombs had the Seishi Hana pollen inside. That Inuzuka boy will drop before he can do more than flop like a fish out of water. Anko has already won."

As Orochimaru had predicted, Daku and his ninken dropped to the ground with a strangled "What the fuck?!"

Anko took out a kunai from her pouch. She was still standing and could easily hurl her weapon at the still Inuzuka – he would be dead if he twitched in the wrong direction.

Ryuji looked at them. He raised his left hand. "Anko Mitarashi wins the match!"

The kunoichi nodded and fell into a crouch, her kunai slipping to the ground and her hands wrapping themselves around her ribcage. Eight iryo-nin walked into the room and took away Daku, Kiiroimaru and Anko on two stretchers.

Orochimaru jumped down to his student's side and nodded.

Anko's face lit up like Orochimaru's approval was all she had ever needed.

The Sannin shunshinned out the tower once his apprentice was taken away.

"The next match will be: Sishimi Akimichi versus Satoshi Uchiha!"

* * *

The Iwa-nin at Jiraya's feet wheezed out a laugh.

He flashed him a bloody smirk. "You've lost the moment you trusted our spies," he breathed, his lungs bleeding as his broken ribs pierced them. He coughed up blood.

The Iwa-nin died.

Jiraya gritted his teeth. That prisoner had been the last of the Iwa agents they managed to scoop up – and, of all ten they had found, none breathed a useful word. Only insults and gloating. They were tough and Jiraya found himself wishing that his teammate Orochimaru could have joined him there. His truth serum would have saved so much trouble.

The Suna Commander, Mitsuo Koda, grimaced beside him. "This is very bad," he stated.

The Toad Sage hummed. He appreciated the privacy seal he had put on the interrogation tent more than ever. Anyone who wanted to eavesdrop would be in for a very nasty surprise.

"Three of my teams had been eliminated by Iwa's agents," the puppeteer commented, narrowing his hazel eyes, "and I'm afraid they're just the first of many others. The morale of my Division is low after this cowardly attack – they don't know who their comrades truly are anymore. Even more so when we discovered two of our own poisoned this morning. I've already sent word to Kazekage-sama with a loyal Suna-nin."

Jiraya crossed his arms. "Hokage-sama already knows about it by now. I'm sure reinforcements will arrive soon to help us tell apart the remaining spies from the true Konoha and Suna-nin."

"The infamous Yamanaka, am I right?" Mitsuo's lips curled in distaste, but he didn't say anything about them. "What about the Iwa-nin who got through? I'd rather not have to deal with a pincher attack when my troops barely trust each other."

"Hokage-sama should've already sent a team to take care of the Iwa-nin if they came into Hi no Kuni's territory," Jiraya answered. "He'd probably warn Kazekage-sama that some of us might come too close to the border. I assume your leader will send his own troops to stop the Iwa-nin in Kaze no Kuni. If the Iwa-nin sneak inside neither and attempt a pincher attack, we'll have to resist until reinforcements arrive."

Mitsuo stared at the bleeding corpse at their feet. "Our forces have lost miles of ground into Tsuchi no Kuni. We're barely north of Ame and Kusa. We've just called back our shinobi and gave up an attack on an Iwa outpost because there were Iwa spies in our ranks. Our morale is low. And you suggest that we just _wait_."

Jiraya nodded. "Unless you want to draw the remaining spies during a fight in which more of our loyal shinobi can easily be backstabbed. Now that some of them have been discovered, they'd take as many of ours as they can if they have the chance."

The Suna commander glared at him before he gave up and sighed. "A war of position," Mitsuo muttered. "Nobody likes those. And we still need to watch out for anyone who uses poison."

The Toad Sage didn't tell that he, too, could have died if Orochimaru and Tsunade hadn't insisted to make him immune to most poisons. Or rather, both his teammates needed a lab rat for poisons (Orochimaru), antidotes (Tsunade) and various vaccines (still Tsunade) when their inspiration struck, usually near the battlefield. And guess who was the nearest guinea pig?

Yeah. Jiraya was immensely glad his teammates had a hand in writing "How To Poison Your Teammate And Get Him Back To Fighting Shape 101". They didn't appreciate his questions about poisons when some characters in his book "Tales of The Utterly Gutsy Ninja" had to deal with them, though.

"Then let them come," the Toad Sage commented and released the privacy seal surrounding the tent.

* * *

The two ROOT shinobi – Tiger and Snake, if Okugi read their masks correctly – weren't leading him to the ROOT base he had been to in the future-past.

He inwardly pouted.

**"****What is it now, Hatake?" **Kurama sounded like he wanted to strangle him.

"This isn't the main ROOT base," he lamented. "It isn't in the outskirts of Konoha like the other one is. It's hidden right under the Hokage Mountain, you know? Behind the Shodaime's head, you get inside the mountain, follow some stairs to the left, go through some holes hidden by genjutsu…"

"The leader is inside this room," Tiger stated in a monotone. Snake positioned himself by the door carved into the stone, carefully stepping away from the pair of torches over it. There was a thick iron door instead of a normal wooden one.

Okugi grinned at the ROOT shinobi. "Why thank you, _darling_," he purred. Tiger subtly twitched as he opened the iron door.

Older Kakashi waved his tails leisurely as he stepped into the small room as if he owned it. Alright, now Danzo would expect him to be more like the Kyuubi. So he should be grumpy, threaten him every time he opened his mouth, lecture him-

**"****Hatake!" **Kurama's snarl resounded in his mind. Kakashi projected a _why me _sort of despair. **"Take this seriously! You've gotten an invitation to meet with Danzo, but you must play your cards right or we all pay the price! Make him trust you, bait him, threaten him, I don't care – but you must not make him into our open enemy yet. After Kannabi, we'll ****_show_****_him_****. Now is not the moment!"**

"I'm not quite as clueless as you think, Kurama." Okugi forcefully dragged forth his own experience as ANBU operative and rubbed it in the bijuu's face. "I'll just mess with him a bit, find out why he wants me here and what he wants from you and Chibi. But Danzo won't tell me that if I don't appear as he expects: a half-demon who will do anything to gain power and freedom. That's what he expects bijuu to do, anyway. And I don't think he's quite stupid enough as to not release me after this meeting – he knows better than mess with a bijuu."

Kurama muttered something under his breath.

_'__Then keep us updated,' _Kakashi ordered – _ordered!_ – him.

Okugi languidly walked to a spot in front of Danzo, who was standing with a wall to his back. There wasn't anything inside the room but dust and stone. The walls, though… they were all decorated with large inky paintings. The one behind Danzo was of the Shodaime and Madara Uchiha fighting against each other: one with a large wooden dragon, the other with an armored Kyuubi.

To Okugi's left, there was the Senju army – at least, that's what the symbols on their armor said. There was the Uchiha army to his right, while behind him there were five painted tigers.

The murals were humming with chakra. He wondered if one of Sai's parents had been recruited into ROOT, trying to ignore the pang of pain and rage that came with that thought.

"You are going by Okugi these days, aren't you?" that not-so-old warmonger asked him. He was staring down at him almost condescendingly.

Okugi nodded. "That I am, human."

His face didn't change. "My subordinates haven't given you my name – it's Danzo Shimura, leader of a group whose name you have no reason to know yet."

"You have yet to give me a reason to acknowledge you or your leadership, _human_," Okugi idly purred, baring his fangs. The thought this creepy bastard could have already sunk his claws into Tenzo made his blood boil. "What is it you want?"

Danzo had still both eyes and they were narrowed. "I know you've met the Hokage when you've made your return to Konoha. You've been registered as a Konohan summon belonging formerly to an unnamed jonin who had lost his life in the war. In his forged last will, you are to belong to Kakashi Hatake, whom you had helped escape from Kumo shinobi. Legally, that child now owns you."

Okugi yawned.

"That bit of human chakra you have running in your coils binds you to him. But you, Okugi," his tone turned mellifluous, "by all rights, you are a bijuu. One swipe of your claws can level forests to the ground, if you so wish. Only other bijuu and Jinchuuriki can equal your power."

"Ah, adulation. You'll be singing a different tune when I 'accidentally' gouge your eyes out with said claws."

Okugi could feel dread, anticipation and annoyance from the other side of their telepathic link.

"But now, you're tied to the Hokage's leash," Danzo said, his voice hardening once more, "and you're kept away from where you'd be most useful: the battlefield. You could have your revenge on Killer Bee, who had tortured you while you were down. Kumo doesn't know what you're capable of yet – but they will once you show them."

"You won't either, until I show you."

The half-demon showed the barest amount of interest in his red eyes.

"If you alone are a force to be reckoned with, you and your Jinchuuriki will be invincible, untouchable. Your names will be praised as they will be feared." Danzo was tempting him with _glory_? "But for that to happen, there is something I ask of you."

Okugi bared his fangs. "About time you told me, human."

Danzo ignored the title once more. "You need to convince Kakashi Hatake to join my troops. They are children and shinobi who have been rejected by Konoha, shunned because of their parentage or rumors that have spread or simply because they were unlike any other. I took them in and raised them to allow them to reach their true potential."

"Basically, you killed their parents and kidnapped them to turn them into your child soldiers. Neat."

Kurama growled.

"Your Jinchuuriki will work with people of similar backgrounds as him-" Okugi dearly hoped it didn't mean that Danzo coerced Sakumo into suicide, "-and grow into the shinobi he was always meant to be – with you by his side. Or, if you prefer, I can arrange for you to disappear from the Hokage's radar. It wouldn't be hard to arrange when this war ends with Iwagakure and Kumogakure begging us for mercy."

Okugi tilted his head. "And if I don't accept?"

Danzo's mouth twisted into a smirk. "You'll be forever tied to the Sandaime, bound to obey his orders even when all you want is freedom, and you won't get your revenge on Killer Bee due to the peace treaties he's sure to sign. What will be your answer?"

* * *

Sishimi Akimichi had been taken away without much preamble by the medics. Satoshi Uchiha walked back on the platforms with a smug grin on her face as she cleaned her katana once more.

No one bothered to wash away the blood left on the tiled floor.

Obito felt vaguely sick. The Akimichi girl had tried her hardest to not look into Satoshi's eyes, had fought with every form of taijutsu she could think of and tried so hard to win. But fists could only do so much against a katana and Satoshi had cut her until Sishimi collapsed and gasped out her surrender.

"Sensei…"

Minato-sensei looked at him and saw his doubt and fear shining in his eyes. "There are different ways to win a fight," the jonin answered. "Shinobi usually prefer the quickest, cleanest route: a precise hit and the fight is over with minimum chakra usage. But there are… other times… where enemies are to be made an example. If a ninja is clearly superior in skill and stamina to another, they can draw out the fight for a longer time. They leave minor injuries that, when counted together, are as bad as a major one." Minato breathed out at Obito and Rin's looks of disbelief. "Then the enemies come to collect the corpse, and rumors start spreading. It's a terror tactic. If someone doesn't have a high body count, they have… to make every one of them… count."

"Sometimes it isn't voluntary," Kakashi added, mostly because sensei's chakra buzzed in distress. The other members of Team Minato looked at him, while Ryuji announced that the next fight would be Kurenai Yuuhi versus Takai Hyuuga. "Drawing out the fight and causing minor injuries can happen when the shinobi who are fighting are on the same level. Even if that's not the case, every factor can still decide who dies and who lives."

Before Obito could cry out something stupid like, "But that's scary!" Kakashi continued.

"Field advantage, like that time the Iwa troops blew up the battlefield." Both Obito and Rin flinched. Minato narrowed his eyes at him. "Chakra affinity advantage. Advantage of surprise. Any knowledge about your enemies' jutsu and tactics – background, chakra nature, which ninja art they rely on, stamina levels and so on." Kakashi jabbed a finger on Obito's chest, pushing him back slightly. "If you don't have knowledge yet, you get it through _observation_."

The chuunin turned to Kurenai and Takai's fight for emphasis. "Satoshi knew not to reveal all her skills. The fact she has a katana strapped on her back marked her as a kenjutsu-oriented kunoichi from the start, so she knew she wouldn't be giving away information by using that."

Obito sort of spluttered at him. "But if she could've ended it sooner, why did she-"

"Didn't you _listen_?" Kakashi hissed at his teammate. "Terror tactic! One of the genin here – maybe even you, or Rin – will fight her, and because of this they will fear her. The psychological aspect is something that can't be ignored – take Orochimaru-sama, for example, or even Minato-sensei! Iwa-nin cower at their mention and flee at their appearance!"

"That's enough, Kakashi." Minato's chakra, which always felt like a warm breeze, was cold and sharp as steel. The look in his eyes screamed _obey or else _and _what you just did disappointed me. _It was rarely directed at him, and it usually was only because he did something to Obito.

Kakashi cringed and gripped the metal handrail tighter. "I was explaining," he whispered softly, loud enough that only Minato might have heard it over the sound of Takai screaming at some genjutsu or another. Both Obito and Rin had taken their sensei's tone as a clear dismissal and turned their focus on the fight below.

"Do you have something on your mind?" Minato murmured just as quietly.

"…I know Okugi is up to something incredibly stupid." Kakashi bowed his head and narrowed his eyes. "The fact I don't know what he's doing, it's… I'm just… nervous. And I took it out on Obito." The last part was almost too low to be heard.

Minato wisely didn't tease his student with a 'Is that an apology I'm hearing?' and just hummed as he turned his attention back to the fight.

Takai snapped out of Kurenai's genjutsu and dashed to her side, intent on locking up her chakra. The kunoichi was stuck on the defensive as she tried to move away from the genin – her taijutsu was sufficient, but the Hyuuga was _specialized_ _in taijutsu_. She was clearly no match for him unless she moved away in time.

Kurenai gasped as one of Takai's fingers struck two of her tenketsu on her right forearm. It wasn't enough to cut her chakra from her right hand, but it was enough to disadvantage her in her genjutsu.

Her teammates sent sparks of chakra in her direction, knowing that cheering her loudly would distract her from her genjutsu. It was a quirk of hers – her friends' chakra soothed and encouraged her more than their words ever would.

She grit her teeth and jumped back, hurling a barrage of kunai at the Hyuuga to prevent him from following her. He twisted out their way and charged straight at her-

-and Kurenai disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Shadow Clone?" he muttered under his breath.

Kurenai had to play this right. He'd expect another genjutsu, but if she managed to make her genjutsu as real as possible… she had to put just enough chakra to fool his Byakugan, but not too much or she'd be discovered…

The genjutsu-kunoichi stabbed Takai's foot as she burst from the ground. The Hyuuga grunted and reached down to shut the tenketsu on her neck. The genjutsu vanished in another puff of smoke, but the genjutsu-injury on his foot did not.

"You can't escape my eyes!" the genin hissed at thin air, looking around for any clue of Kurenai's location.

Kakashi knew she was hiding on the ceiling to cast her genjutsu thanks to his enhanced chakra sense, but wisely didn't intervene in breaking the genjutsu shrouding her figure. Obito and Rin looked on in disbelief – "Wow, she disappeared from his sight! How cool is that?!" – and Minato nodded appreciatively.

Fuuyuki looked proud of her, as did Asuma and Raido. Gai was weeping in joy and imposed himself to do three hundred push-ups on one arm for each arm if he couldn't find her before Ebisu (who looked resigned), Genma (who looked incredibly amused) or Takai (who looked as frustrated as a Hyuuga could look) did. The Nara seemed to be sleeping on her feet while the Yamanaka frowned, concerned that Kurenai could be his opponent. Hiko glanced at the ceiling and nodded. Satoshi followed her gaze with her sharingan, frowned and shook her head. Hatsumi watched her student intently.

Every team kept to themselves. Gai's teammates and sensei had forced him to stay with them instead of wandering over to his Eternal Rival and shout his ears off.

Eventually Takai had to admit defeat when the true Kurenai pinned him down with a genjutsu-Doton, his own form aching and bleeding until Ryuji shouted, "Kurenai Yuuhi wins the match!" and the kunoichi released the genjutsu.

The Hyuuga made a squeaky sound of outraged disbelief when his pain disappeared just like that.

When he crossed eyes with Satoshi, he just glared and stomped out of the tower altogether. Hatsumi followed her student.

"The next match will be: Rin Nohara versus Raido Namiashi!"

* * *

"You can do it, Rin!"

The genin blushed at Obito's loud encouragement and steeled herself. Raido was her friend, yes, but now he was standing in her way to become chuunin. It was like a spar, just more dangerous. She could heal him afterwards anyway if she won.

Raido kept his katana by his side, an open guard. "I can't get you to give up, can I?" he resignedly said.

Rin shook her head.

The genin shrugged. "Eh, it was worth a try. Can't say I didn't warn you, though."

He dashed forward with a burst of chakra just as she dodged to her right and met his katana with a kunai. Her right hand, the one not holding the weapon, glowed blue and she reached for his ribs. Guessing that it was better if she didn't touch him with her chakra, Raido wisely jumped away.

Rin bit her lip. She wasn't into chakra scalpels, since she was already specializing into senbon and poisons. She just applied the Mystic Palm jutsu to do damage: the muscles and bones she could mend with her chakra were cut and cracked instead. If she pushed her chakra to heal, she pulled it to hurt; if she caressed the organs to heal, she stabbed them to hurt. It was all a matter of chakra control.

It was something Anko had come up with during the last two days of rest. Rin had decided to give it a try.

Well, Raido seemed to fear it. Even if it didn't work, seeing a hand coated in chakra for an unclear purpose never failed to scare people.

Now Rin knew what to do to keep him away – enough that she could throw her own weapons. She just needed a hit and she'd win.

Raido threw three shuriken at her. Rin crouched under the weapons and hurled a few kunai of her own as she rose to her feet once more. The other genin knocked them aside and dashed to her with his katana drawn.

Rin gritted her teeth and took another kunai from her pouch to deflect Raido's hits.

Once his slashes came too close to cut her, she pushed a bit of her chakra into the hilt of her left kunai, activating the smoke seal Minato-sensei had given her.

Thick gray smoke immediately engulfed both genin but only Raido jumped back in surprise, coughing. Rin let loose a few poisoned senbon in that direction and left the smoke with a jump.

"Well," Okugi loudly thought as Raido came out without a scratch, "while your offer is rather tempting… it seems you've taken me for a brainless animal instead of the bijuu you claim I am."

**"****Hatake! You must not make him into our open enemy yet!" **Kurama reminded him, but he ignored him. Kakashi gripped the handrail tight enough to dent it and Minato glanced at him.

"Even if I managed to convince Kakashi – who is not _my_ Jinchuuriki anymore, might I remind you – to join your super secret shady group, I'd just replace Hokage-_sama_'s leadership for yours, human." Kakashi had the distinct impression that Okugi had empathized the –sama on purpose. "I must admit that our deal of work-for-Konoha-to-pay-your-rent is one I rather like. Why change the status quo when things are going so well?"

Their connection was promptly cut off.

Kakashi couldn't hide the flinch nor bite back the whimper that left his lips. It felt like Okugi's chakra that kept working his half of their link had snapped back in his face like a rubber band, only with the force of a bijuu dama to the gut. He could feel in his mind that _something_ _was missing_, something he had unconsciously leaned on and had suddenly left him to metaphorically face-plant on the floor.

"Kakashi, what's wrong?" Minato asked him, all concerned eyes and buzzing chakra.

The chuunin forced himself to calm down – but when he turned to look at his sensei, he could feel that Kurama had already pushed his chakra into his eyes. Minato inhaled sharply when he looked into his student's red eyes and his muscles tensed in anticipation of a fight.

"Okugi is in danger," Kakashi whispered shakily.

* * *

**Part 1 of 2 complete! Wait for the second half! :D**

**Questions, screams, likes, dislikes and requests! Anything goes! I hope what I've written makes sense! ;D**

**Also, before I forget: the title of the story is kind of lame. I've come up with that almost two years ago in the evening while I was on my wow-first-story-published high. Not one of my best plans. So I'm asking you - if you have any ideas - to tell me if you want it changed, and if yes, give me some suggestions or preferences.**

**For example, I could change the title into "To Seal A Deal With Time", or "Following In The Kyuubi's Pawprints" or even "Trio Out Of Time" or something. "Three's A Crowd", "Remembering Tomorrow" or "Then There Were Three" as suggested into 'Silver Wolf - betrayal and treason' by ThePlotBunnies? We'll decide! ;) **

**Beware of the Kitsune's rage!**

**Shiiroi Kitsune21**


	41. Chapter 40: Might've Gone Worse

**Chapter FORTY! Ladies and gentlemen, what a marvelous goal! **

***Two hours of standing ovation***

**Also, new title! With a little addition! YAY! **

***half a clap***

**…****ow. Well, I think it's better than the original one. I also noticed that there was already a story with 'Footprints' instead of 'Pawprints' in the "Following in the Kyuubi's pawprints", so… here you go, I guess! ;)**

**Thank you for all your support – both silent and vocal – for this story! :D Thanks to rebecca taylor, AngelicRiver, Prescripto13, Tamani, Shadow-Shinobi666, Ominous Rain, Guest 1, Unterflieger, Rika24, anaisonfire, NarutoxHonoka, cloystreng, Sailor Pandabear and Bindi-fox for their reviews to the last Chapter! (A quieter thanks to T51b Moridin for reviewing the first eight Chapters :D)**

**Also: Kurama never called Naruto 'Kit', I get it, I get it! The next person who reminds me of it again is getting reduced to a pancake and fed to my ferocious fish. Kudos to those who are wiser and don't do it.**

**Tamani: you know your comment reminded me of the song "Wildfire", JubyPhonic cover? In particular the verses: "You'd think by now I would have learned not to play with fire if I don't wanna get burnt"… ;D**

**Unterflieger: just you wait for about one or two chapters so I can conclude the Exams without rushing them, and you'll see! *laughs evilly***

**Guest 2: too late for correcting that, I'm afraid – and I had considered whether or not do it. But I mean, the anime does show some Chuunin Exams happened when Obito and Rin were genin, which is during the war.**

**NarutoxHonoka: two out of three questions are answered in here! As for the first one… *keeps laughing evilly***

**Bindi-fox: you've been most helpful in bringing this Chapter to life, so you get Special Thanks whether you want them or not! ;P (Unless you really want to remain anonymous) oh, their method is very… straightforward. ;)**

**Happy birthday 'Kashi-chan! May Team Minato get a day free from Heaven to visit you and may Boruto paint a proper mouth on your stone face!**

***Cough* And now, here we go with the chapter! **

* * *

**Chapter 40: Might've Gone Worse **

Hound frowned when their target and the Yellow Flash started whispering.

Cat neared his corner and signaled, _"No more external chakra. Target's chakra distressed."_

So basically, the Hatake's strange chakra link to _something_ disappeared and he was a slip of control away from bouncing all over the walls. Because their little adventure with the other Jinchuuriki hadn't been enough for them, of course not. Guarding the Hatake was a hell all on its own.

Minato then approached his other student – who didn't even notice the tension bleeding out of his teammates, engrossed as he was in the medic's fight – and gave him one of his special kunai, whispering something about using it only if he was in mortal danger or else.

The blond sensei and the Jinchuuriki disappeared the next second.

Hound would have sighed in his hands had he had time to spare. As it was, he just signaled, _"Cat leads to target," _to his teammates and hurried to follow the sensor-nin, who was in turn following Minato's thin thread of chakra to another of his marked kunai.

* * *

_'__At least he told us where he was,' _Kakashi mused, his hysteria coloring his mindscrape, _'before pushing Danzo's patience this far!'_

Kurama pushed more chakra into the chuunin's feet. Minato was keeping up with their pace, at least, but Team Hound had yet to catch up. He was probably using his Hiraishin, but he couldn't care less. **"That idiot wanted ****_Danzo_**** to show all his cards!" **the bijuu snarled. His tails waved wildly. **"This kidnapping attempt must be enough for the old monkey to see his true colors, and if it isn't we'll just have to skin him ourselves!" **

The chuunin stretched his chakra in a field covering the Hokage Tower and the Mountain. There were fifty civilians, six genin, forty-five chuunin, twelve jonin, the Hokage, thirteen ANBU-

And Okugi, bouncing to their position in a blur of white and red.

Kakashi almost let out a sigh of relief. Everything was-

The _link_. He pushed his and Kurama's chakra in Okugi's direction, but he wasn't answering. He wasn't building up his half. He just _ignored_ him. Kakashi tried to delve deeper, tried to make him see what he was doing-

**"****His ****_chakra_****, Kit!" **Kurama roared, raking his claws on their mindscrape. **"He's an impostor!"**

Beneath a layer of his chakra-infused fur, he felt _wrong_. 'Okugi' felt too blank, empty and _wrong_.

Minato relaxed beside him. "Okugi, good to see you! We were wor-"

Kakashi tackled him with a snarl and, when 'Okugi' tried to squirm out of his grip, the chuunin summoned seven chakra claws to pin all his limbs down. The roof cracked under them as Minato made a sound of surprise. "What have you done to _him?!_"

The impostor tilted his head, perplexed. "Kakashi, what-"

"He never calls me anything but Chibi, **you ****_liar!_**** What have you done to him?!" **Kurama allowed Kakashi's nails to grow into claws, sinking into the impostor's flesh. Not-Okugi almost flinched.

Minato tensed when Kurama's voice slipped into Kakashi's words. He walked over to 'Okugi' and stared him down with a look he reserved for enemy shinobi. If Kakashi (and the Kyuubi imitator) thought he wasn't the true half-demon, they were most likely right. "Who are you?" he hissed.

Kakashi's claws drew blood and the impostor's advanced henge disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The blond jonin inhaled sharply when he saw an ANBU in the half-demon's place. Kakashi could distantly feel Team Hound's shock, their anger and fear. Boar immediately jumped to the Hokage Tower while Owl leapt beside Kakashi's sensei.

Minato turned to him. "Owl-san, is he-"

"He is no ANBU," the medic deadpanned, but no one missed his undertone of fury. Kakashi disrupted Tiger's chakra every time he attempted a jutsu to flee. "The captain has ordered me to bring him into custody." The Jinchuuriki could swear he smiled. "If you want to do the honors…"

Kakashi's grin was feral as he pushed Kurama's poisonous chakra into Tiger's coils until he fell unconscious from the pain, silently writhing. He dragged his claws across the ROOT operative's chest before getting up and dusting off his knees.

Owl tied up the agent, hauled him on his shoulder, nodded at the two shinobi and leapt away.

Kakashi and Minato ran and jumped to the top of the Hokage Mountain.

"Kakashi, do you feel Okugi's chakra?" the latter asked, frowning.

He didn't, and that worried him more than he would admit. "I just know where he went," he answered and started climbing down behind the Shodaime's face. He barely made a sound on the stone as he unconsciously called on his older self's ANBU training.

_'__Stairs to the left, stairs to the left…' _There were stairs to their left and Kakashi rushed down with Minato following close behind. Hound and Cat slithered after them like the ANBU they were.

There were five ANBU-level genjutsu on the stone walls, kept in place by five chakra storage seals. Ten torches flickered in the hallway they found themselves in, offering enough light to see clearly the painted stone.

With a roar that only Kakashi heard, Kurama overloaded the five storage seals with a wave of his own chakra until they sizzled out of existence, useless. The genjutsu disappeared and revealed five tunnels. Now, which should they follow?

Kakaashi shot his mixed chakra into each hole, ignoring Minato, Hound and Cat's tremors as an onslaught of Kurama's angry energy coated the area. There were one, five, ten, twelve, _twenty-three_ people in total, all of them blank and void as the tiger-masked ROOT operative was, most of them fleeing and suppressing their chakra.

Danzo was in a sealed part of the base, doing who knew what to Okugi.

The thought made Kakashi's blood boil but he knew he had to stay focused. Where would Danzo be? Where there were more of his guards, of course – dealing with a half-demon was dangerous business. They'd also be waiting in front of the sealed room in which Danzo holed himself in, ready to defend their fucking leader.

The tunnel immediately to Kakashi's right it was.

The chuunin rushed into the tunnel, spinning his and Kurama's chakra into a vortex that screamed _stand aside or you're going down. _Some ROOT shinobi tried to stand in his way – they knew better than try their luck attacking him when the Yellow Flash and two ANBU were behind him – but Kakashi knocked them aside and kept running. They disappeared before the three adults could apprehend them.

**"****On your right!" **

Kakashi stopped at Kurama's voice. There was indeed a chakra seal etched on the iron door, which continued onto the walls with inky lines and swirls and kanji that resembled a dragon holding a medallion. The trigram for wind – two full lines over a split one – and the one for fire – a split line between two full ones – were painted inside of it.

"Chuunin, you shouldn't-"

Kakashi let loose a chakra claw on the snake-masked shinobi and he shunshinned away without preamble. The Jinchuuriki was too concerned for Okugi to give chase, which Cat seemed to be doing on Hound's orders.

Kurama snorted at the privacy seal. **"Tsk. A ****_Two_**** Trigrams Seal put inside the Guardian Dragon of Heaven Seal? The Bloody Phoenix Lock is much more complex than this. Stand aside, Kit, and let me work my magic."**

Kakashi relinquished his body to Kurama, who nicked his right index finger to draw blood.

Minato frowned when he saw his student's blood. "Kakashi, this seal-"

**"****I know what I'm doing, Minato," **Kurama growled. The blond and Hound tensed at his voice but he ignored them, summoning a chakra claw to help him reach the highest parts of the seal. **"Stay quiet and be ready to kill that bastard."**

The jonin and the ANBU reluctantly backed down and stood by each side of the door, waiting for Kurama to unlock the seals on the wall. Minato looked about to ask 'how do you know it's only one bastard?' and 'what do _you_ know about seals?' but thought better of it.

Kurama quickly drew six strings of kanji in a cobweb-like formation with the trigrams for lightning – two split lines over a full one – and water – a full line between two split ones – at their center. He pushed his chakra into the drawing, snarling, **"Fuinjutsu: Release!"**

The cobweb latched onto the dragon's head and, as it thrashed soundlessly on the wall, the two bloody trigrams melted with the inky ones into two black drops that dripped down the stone. The dragon met their same fate as both seals came undone.

Hound kicked the door open with Minato and Kurama right behind him.

Danzo was standing inside the decorated room as if he had done nothing wrong in the world. Okugi, sprawled a few feet away from him with his own Lightning Chakra wrapped around his now-black fur, begged to differ. He was drenched in ink from his ears to the tip of tails.

"Danzo-sama, what's going on?" Minato asked, bewildered. Of all the people he had expected, Danzo hadn't even been on his list. He glanced at Kakashi (Kurama?) as he (they) crouched near Okugi. They were more concerned with the half-demon, though it didn't escape Minato's notice that they were sending waves of Killing Intent in Danzo's direction.

The Elder's face was impassive, but the chuunin could tell by his chakra that he was surprised he had been discovered so soon. He couldn't have left the sealed room without unsealing it, anyway. "I was discussing a matter with that bijuu when it attacked me. All I've done was in self-defense."

"Even sending an impostor?" Kakashi accused, narrowing his blood red eyes. "How is _that_ self-defense?"

"I couldn't let the village realize one of our 'summons' went missing, could I? The jonin are already suspicious of it as it is; if it had suddenly disappeared, they would've rioted against the Hokage for his decision of accepting it – and against you, _Hatake_, for not realizing it could go rogue."

Kakashi bristled at the way his older self was referred to as an 'it'. He wouldn't admit that the 'went missing' part sent a shiver down his spine – what if they hadn't gotten to Okugi in time?

The half-demon coughed and spat ink on the floor. "Bullshit! _Your_ shinobi lured _me_ here and you decided to trap me! I am part of Konoha, the same village you should be protecting!"

Danzo narrowed his eyes. "Don't accuse me of going against Konoha's interests, demon."

"Elder Danzo Shimura," Hound announced, his voice hard. "You stand accused of harm to a Konohan summon, attempted abduction of a Konohan summon, suspected formation of extraneous shinobi group within Konohan borders without the Hokage's authorization and impersonation of ANBU personnel. You're advised to come quietly or I, ANBU Captain Hound, jonin Minato Namikaze and chuunin Kakashi Hatake will be forced to take drastic measures."

The older man looked at each shinobi blankly, glaring only at Okugi – or at Kakashi, it was hard to tell when they were this close. "You can drop the last two charges, Hound – the Hokage had approved the foundation of ROOT as a branch of ANBU under my leadership."

Minato narrowed his cold blue eyes. "So you're not denying the first two charges, Danzo-sama?"

"I've been attacked first and acted accordingly," the Elder stated and pointed at the claw-like tear on his long sleeves, even as Okugi growled "_You_ attacked _me_ first!" "I assume I can be forgiven for not taking any chances with a demon."

"_Half_-demon, actually, but you don't care about that!"

Kurama's eyelids twitched. **"We have to ****_talk_****," **he spat in their mindscrape. Older Kakashi had the grace to inwardly cringe.

The two time-travellers and Kakashi glared at Danzo as if the heat of their stares alone could make him spontaneously combust. When nothing happened, Okugi tried to shake off the ink from his fur and Kakashi let Minato-sensei and Hound deal with Danzo – because if _he_ did, he'd be accused of the Elder's bloody murder in under half an hour. Until Kannabi happened and the war ended, they'd have to bear with his presence.

The five Konoha shinobi left the Hokage Moutain.

* * *

The Hokage couldn't believe what Team Hound just reported him.

Boar had been the first to come to him, telling Hiruzen that Kakashi convinced Minato to leave Training Ground 44 and they discovered an impostor who was masquerading as Okugi. Cat had told them that Kakashi's chakra showed distress the moment his 'external link' had disappeared.

Owl had come in second. Hound had ordered him to lock up the impostor in the deepest part of the ANBU HQ because he was wearing an ANBU uniform. His mask marked him as 'Tiger', who has never been registered in their ranks. The Sandaime had a rough idea of what must have happened and did _not_ look forward to this _at all._

Cat had joined his teammates not too long after. He said that he gave chase to another ANBU impostor with a snake mask inside a non-registered base hidden in the Hokage Mountain, but the enemy shinobi managed to flee. The sensor-nin also reported that there were at least fifteen other shinobi who fled the place, but chances were there were more than he could sense.

The Hokage was about to send another ANBU team to investigate when Hound stepped inside the room and bowed. He could feel the signatures of Minato, Kakashi, Okugi and _Danzo_ just outside the door. His day had been going so well, too.

Hound kneeled and made his report.

"After I've sent Cat after the unknown shinobi, Hatake unlocked the Guardian Dragon of Heaven Seal on the first room we've found in the hidden base and Minato and I got inside it. We've found Okugi in evident disadvantage on the ground, covered in chakra-infused ink with Danzo-sama a few meters away. Interpreting the scene, I apprehended Danzo-sama with the charges of harm to a Konohan summon, attempted abduction of a Konohan summon, suspected formation of extraneous shinobi group within Konohan borders without the Hokage's authorization and impersonation of ANBU personnel." Hound sounded as if he were scowling. "He denied the last two charges, affirming you had authorized the ROOT's foundation as a branch of ANBU, Hokage-sama."

The Sandaime almost slammed his own head on his desk. Why did Danzo have to complicate things so much. Dealing with bijuu was delicate _diplomatic_ business, damn it! "It's the truth," he said instead. "Harm and attempted kidnapping of a Konohan summon is still as bad as attacking a fellow shinobi, however."

Team Hound stayed silent, still kneeling on the ground waiting for their leader's orders.

"You'll take your previous guarding positions inside my office," he told them, "and listen carefully to everything Minato, Kakashi, Okugi and Danzo report. Since you're eyewitnesses of this… crime, I'll ask you to confirm what they say and inform me of any discrepancies you might hear."

The whole team nodded at once.

The older man turned to the other two ANBU in his office. "Raccoon, Falcon."

The duo appeared to his left. Hound eyed curiously the old tattoo on Raccoon's left shoulder, a red star under the ANBU's symbol, but didn't comment.

"Stand guard in front of the door," the Hokage ordered, "and keep everyone away from Danzo – no talking, signaling or harm is allowed."

The two ANBU answered affirmatively and opened the door.

The Sandaime almost cringed at the Killing Intent both Kakashi and Okugi exuded. Everyone but Minato was giving both of them a wide berth.

But Minato needed to return to his competing students soon if he didn't want them to worry about their chuunin teammate – and subsequently discover Danzo's tendency to meet anyone with shinobi potential and try to recruit them into his branch of ANBU. He had asked Hiruzen's own students in the past, even going so far as to 'ask' Sakumo, Minato, Kushina, three Uchiha, five Hyuuga and two Yamanaka. And since he couldn't arrange a private meeting with Kakashi due to Team Hound's tailing, he lured Okugi in instead.

"Minato, come in."

The blond jonin glanced at his student and Okugi before nodding and coming into the office.

As the door closed, the Hokage couldn't help but think of that old riddle about taking a wolf, a sheep and a cabbage across a river on a boat where only two could go at once. He wryly thought that he'd taken just the cabbage and left the wolf alone to eat the sheep.

He banished the thought of Minato as cabbage from his mind.

The Sandaime stood in front of his desk and looked at the jonin. "Report everything from the moment Kakashi's behavior changed."

* * *

"We could strike him now."

**"…****Not yet."**

"Are you _defending_ him?"

Kurama jabbed at Okugi with his chakra, growling. **"That bastard deserves nothing but a slow, excruciating death. It's ****_you_**** the ****_idiot_**** who followed his ROOT shinobi and ****_met_**** with him! Hatake, what were you thinking?! You could've pretended to accept his offer and be done with it!"**

"Don't you think I've already considered it?!" Older Kakashi snarled back at him. Falcon stared at him. "I've provoked Danzo, yes, and now Sandaime-sama is forced to acknowledge that his 'friend' is going too far! Had I accepted and later spilled the beans, Mr. Creepy Eyeballs could have just denied it and it wasn't like having a Yamanaka roaming in my mind to prove my claim would've been good-"

_'__So you put your life on the line – which is the equivalent as endangering the future – just because Hokage-sama might do something about Danzo?!' _the chuunin glared at the half-demon.

The two ANBU and Danzo were staring at them.

"You would've still completed our plan to save the fut-"

_'__What if we arrived too late to save you?!' _Kakashi cut him off. Memories – most of them Okugi's – of people, comrades, friends and family and _pack_ dying because he'd been _too late, too fucking late and all of them were dead-_

"I trust you."

Kakashi's thoughts screeched to a halt.

"I trust you," the time-traveller repeated more firmly, "with my life. I trusted you would come before Danzo could seal me away. I trusted you'd see that impostor wasn't me – that ROOT operative had even absorbed some of my chakra to copy it, but he couldn't impersonate _me_."

**"****He couldn't copy the telepathic link, that was for sure." **Kurama snorted, though by his narrowed eyes their talk was far from over. **"The first thing out of his mouth was 'Kakashi' when he called him and even a blind human could've seen it wasn't you."**

The chuunin rolled his eyes. Falcon kept staring at him. _'Blind men can still hear, so-'_

"Awwww," Okugi cooed, grinning. "You knew it wasn't me when I didn't call you 'Chibi'? I'm so honored, _Chibi!_"

Kakashi's eye twitched. _'What did you mean with 'before Danzo could seal me away'?'_

"Uh. Do you know that jutsu that Sai used during the Fourth Shinobi War?" the chuunin looked for the memory of a pale man (boy?) drawing a tiger on a huge scroll, and nodded. "Well, looks like the Fuinjutsu: Tiger Vision Staring Bullet wasn't exclusively Sai's jutsu."

**"****Did Danzo use it?" **the bijuu's tone was deadly.

Okugi nodded. "Yup. I mean, he taught it to Sai, and to teach it he must've known it."

Kurama scraped his claws on the mindscrape's floor, growling as the memory of the jutsu flashed in front of his eyes. **"You almost got yourself sealed in a damned ****_wall!" _**he roared and both Hatakes flinched. Falcon was noticeably nervous.

The Hokage's door opened and Minato stepped out.

"Kakashi, you're next," he told his student. Only his chakra betrayed how much anger he had bottled up. "Once you've finished, you're coming back with me to the Forest of Death."

The chuunin nodded and got inside the Hokage's office. Privacy seals flared to life.

At least chakra could still leave the room, so their connection was still working.

But Minato, Okugi noted with frustration, had strategically put himself between the half-demon and Danzo. Raccoon seemed to silently laugh at Falcon's nervousness over Okugi's angry sulking. At least he wasn't laughing at him, the time-traveller supposed.

Then another chakra signature appeared three floors under them, calmly summoning his chakra for a jutsu, and Okugi wondered just how much this day could do wrong.

Motherfucking Orochimaru of the fucking Sannin.

Fuck.

_'__Can you think quieter? Kurama is still pissed off at you…'_

**"****Damn right I am, Hatake…!"**

Okugi discreetly shrunk and put less chakra in their telepathic link. Erasing it was just asking them to burst into the hallway and make them worry unnecessarily – which would then translate into them trying to beat the living daylights out of him.

Orochimaru teleported right in front of the Hokage's closed door.

* * *

"You're not allowed inside, Orochimaru-sama."

The Snake Sannin rose an eyebrow but didn't comment as he glanced at Okugi's ink-soaked fur, Minato's hesitant nod and Danzo's blank expression. The lingering Killing Intent was also hard to miss for a shinobi of Orochimaru's caliber.

"I have an urgent message for the Hokage," he stated, showing the red scroll in his hand.

Raccoon, that impudent bastard with more lives than a freaking cat, just shook his head.

"Hokage-sama also forbade anyone from talking to Danzo-sama."

Orochimaru shot a_ look_ at the ANBU – he was one of the longest-serving agents, four whole years – and decided to wait beside the brooding half-demon. He had no interest in making his deals with Danzo known to everybody who happened to see them together.

Sarutobi-sensei specifically. Okugi and Minato would spill everything to him if they knew, so here he was as far from Danzo as he could.

His curiosity was piqued when he caught a whiff of Danzo's chakra coming from the ink on the half-demon's fur.

"I assume something happened between the three of you?" Orochimaru idly asked, sure that at least one of them would tell him. He was rewarded when Okugi's ears lowered futher and Minato shook his head.

"No, Orochimaru-sama. It actually involved only Danzo-sama and Okugi."

The half-demon muttered something that sounded like a petulant, "His fault."

"Was it?" the Snake Sannin watched Okugi for every little twitch in his body. "I find it hard to believe. It takes two to tango, doesn't it?"

Okugi folded into himself further. "I _did _follow his shinobi," he admitted, "but _he_ attacked _me_ first. And here I thought Konoha-nin didn't attack their own."

Danzo inconspicuously showed his torn sleeve, evidently eavesdropping.

Orochimaru almost snorted as he thought back to when Danzo first approached him. Sarutobi-sensei had given each of them an earful on destroyed Konohan property and proper appointments, but neither of them were really listening. "Only idiots follow another shinobi without knowing what to expect."

The half-demon's scrunched expression clearly stated "I _did_ know what to expect!" but those words remained unspoken. The ink-soaked Okugi sulked on his spot in front of the Hokage office.

They waited in silence until Minato spoke up. "What are you seeing Hokage-sama for, Orochimaru-sama?"

The Snake Sannin considered answering "classified" or something of the sort, but given that there was an Elder, a renowned jonin and a half-demon who interacted only with said jonin and a handful of kids, he figured they'd be among the first to know anyway. It wasn't like it was even classified yet – it was just very important and recent news.

He had been leaving one of his laboratories within Konoha – many of his text subjects had died while he was away on the battlefield, damn it – when a harried chuunin had ran into him without looking (Orochimaru had dodged him and tripped the insolent shinobi, of course) and the messenger had squeaked at him where the fuck he was going… before he realized just who had tripped him.

Orochimaru had let loose the tiniest sliver of Killing Intent as he hissed, "The Hokage Tower" as a lie.

The chuunin then all but shoved a red scroll in his hands and asked him if he would be so kind as to deliver it to Hokage-sama because this was _urgent_ and the Sannin would be much faster at delivering the news to him than a random chuunin like him, right?

Orochimaru only accepted because the scroll was red and _unsealed_. What moron left a _red _scroll _unsealed_?

It was by accident, really, that he quickly scanned its contents. Really.

"It seems Kiri had requested help from Konoha," the Sannin answered mildly, "because Kumo's been cutting off their trading routes for months and they can't even deal with that. The Sandaime Raikage also appears to be heading in their direction."

Danzo's eyes widened slightly before they narrowed into slits and his mouth twisted in a scowl. He could almost hear him spit darkly to himself, "_Diplomacy."_

Okugi had a pensive expression on his muzzle. What did he want to do about it?

Minato spluttered. "The Raikage himself, Orochimaru-sama?"

"There's only one Raikage at a time, Minato," the Snake Sannin hissed and saw the blond narrow his eyes at the clear jab. "Kiri believes he's going to attack them and is so desperate as to ask Konoha for help. Sarutobi-sensei needs to see this message _immediately_."

The privacy seals on the walls dimmed and Kakashi stepped out of the office door, his chakra vibrating with suppressed fury and screaming _approach me and die _to anyone with sufficient chakra-sensing abilities. The Snake Sannin breathed in his bloodlust.

How invigorating.

Kakashi paused when he saw Orochimaru standing there, looked at the red scroll still in his hand, nodded and said stiffly, "Orochimaru-sama," as he bowed. Not as low as he deemed respectful, but Sarutobi-sensei called him in before he could give the little Hatake a piece of his mind.

He heard Minato asking Okugi if he could trust him to not attack Danzo, to which the half-demon muttered an affirmative. Nobody actually believed him, but Minato and the little Jinchuuriki had teleported out of the building all the same.

Raccoon and Falcon had their work cut just for them, he was sure.

* * *

Obito was almost going to ask _Gai_ to look for Kakashi and Minato-sensei – he wouldn't actually dare to throw sensei's kunai, the jonin was rather clear about his punishment if he did – when his two missing teammates _finally_ reappeared.

"Minato-sensei!" he shouted, startled. "Why did you leave like that?! You should've seen how fast Rin was! She dodged and blocked and used the jutsu she and Anko were working on the last two days and- and she used senbon! She was awesome!"

Rin blushed at the compliment. "I wasn't that fast… Besides," she gave both teammates a once over before she continued, "I'm sure Minato-sensei and Kakashi had to do something important, right, sensei?"

Under the platforms, Genma shouted something about a pyromaniac Asuma. The latter looked wholly unrepentant and threw six shuriken as the senbon-user tried to put out the fire on his clothes.

Minato nodded. "We did."

Obito leaned forward, all wide eyes and expectations. "…Aaaaaaand?"

"It's none of your business," Kakashi deadpanned.

"Ugh." The Uchiha pouted at that before he lit up again. "C'mooooon, tell us! Just a itty bitty little-"

"No." Kakashi narrowed his eyes.

"Senseeee-"

"Until everything is sorted out, we can't tell you anything." Minato's tone was final and more than a little foreboding. "It's a delicate matter, Obito."

The boy knew that this was Important Classified Business (with all the capital letters it deserved) so he dropped it with a pout and a reluctant nod. Rin smiled at him – making newly-healed skin on her cheeks stretch, a rosy shade of pink – and Obito could feel his own face heating up.

Kakashi gave him a long, unimpressed stare.

The chuunin-wannabe tried to cover his blush with his hands.

"Did we miss any fight?" Minato-sensei asked, though Obito could swear he was immensely amused.

"Amari Nara won against Ebisu after she used the Shadow Imitation Jutsu on him to, uhm…" Rin fidgeted a second before she steeled herself and continued, "…dance."

Kakashi looked severely unimpressed. "Dance."

The medic-nin nodded, blood rushing to her cheeks. "Ebisu eventually gave up when he saw he couldn't break the jutsu and it became too, uhm, _embarrassing_ for him."

Obito burst into laughter at that.

"Shut it, Obito!" Genma called from the arena as narrowly avoided a chakra blade to his shin, "I'll laugh at _you_ when you get down here and let's see how you like it _then!_"

Asuma spat ash in his face and leapt back. His hands blurred through some hand-seals before stopping on the Tiger one. "Keep distracting him, Obito!" he sing-songed with a smirk. The coughs inside the gray cloud quickly turned into curses and 'don't you dare's.

The Uchiha shut up and wished for the ground to swallow him whole as everyone looked at him.

Rin patted him on the back, smiling.

Minato shook his head and sighed, though he was clearly amused.

Kakashi just leaned heavily on the handrail and face-palmed.

Gai shouted something like, "The Power of Youth burns brightly within you, my friend!"

"Katon: Burning Ash!" Asuma did something with his teeth – a clicking sound – and the whole cloud of ash and gunpowder erupted into a roaring fire.

Obito watched in awe as the flames spread, so different from his own Katon. Rin instantly fretted over Genma's status: he surely had burns if he couldn't avoid that jutsu and the medic in her was ready to just jump down and heal him. Gai shouted a long, "Geeeeeeeenma!"

There was silence after that.

For a second.

Genma burst from the ground right under Asuma, slashing his kunai upwards across the genin's back. The black-haired boy was quick to kick his opponent away before he could do much damage. There was still a bloody gash behind Asuma's right kidney though.

The senbon-user coughed. "Gai, never say that my 'youth' burns brightly _ever again_."

"I shall endeavor to do so, Genma! If I fail to do that, I shall do two hundred handstand pushups!"

Kakashi nearly sighed at that before the flashes of _Gai fighting Madara motherfucking Uchiha_ and the latter _acknowledging Gai as the strongest in taijutsu_ went through his mind. Each of his crazy exercises and 'punishments' would lead up to his last fight and almost sacrificial death… unless they changed the world.

At least Okugi was distracted from his murderous plotting in favor of fretting over their Eternal Rival.

* * *

The fight ended shortly after with some iryo-nin nursing Genma's burns on his arms and chest.

Ryuji Saiku looked as if he wanted to be elsewhere. "The next match will be: Obito Uchiha versus Koto Yamanaka!"

Kakashi noticed his teammate was a bundle of nerves at being called down. He sighed. "Just make sure to never stay still or be trapped," he murmured, "and you should do fine."

"Eh?" Obito then blinked at him and grinned. "Uh, of course! What Hokage would I be if I didn't know that? Hahaha, always be on the move, got it! Thanks!" The genin jogged down the steps and into the arena, his usual confident smile back on his face.

Kakashi pretended not to notice Minato's incredibly amused – and _proud_, let's not forget that – quirk of his lips.

"Do your best, Obito!" Rin cheered.

The Uchiha resembled a tomato when his face settled into a determined expression that often spelt trouble to the environment around him. A future-memory of a new-chuunin Obito setting fire to a Training Ground came to mind and Kakashi was torn between amusement and exasperation.

**"****We still need to ****_talk_****," **Kurama's voice rumbled.

_'__About my older self's stunt?'_

"Hey, I can still hear you."

The bijuu rolled his eyes. **"No one cares, Hatake."**

"Ouch."

_'__Last thing you said,' _Kakashi reminded Kurama, _'was that he almost got sealed in a wall.'_

Okugi almost withdrew most of his chakra from their link, yelping, "Traitor!"

Kakashi watched how Obito used his newly-acquired speed and improved taijutsu to corner the Yamanaka boy, pushing in the back of his mind Kurama and Okugi's argument. Both shouted something at him at his forceful shove but didn't attempt to bring him into their heated discussion, busy as they were with each other. The chuunin could still hear snippets of their screaming though.

**"****-****_thinking_****?! You could've left a Chakra Clone to deal with Danzo instead of letting yourself-"**

"-you wanted me sealed away by _Sandaime-sama_ because I've killed Mr. King Creep? Oh, of course-"

**"****-isn't like you can just do ****_whatever_****-"**

"-as if you have better ideas, oh so mighty _Kyuubi_-"

**"****-I ****_have_**** better ideas, puny little human-"**

"-name calling, so _mature_ of you-"

Kakashi's worry had been quelled when he saw nothing had happened to Okugi, he was fine and as annoying as ever, Danzo would be dealt with ahead of schedule, he had his older self's complete trust – well, who could you trust if you couldn't trust _yourself_ – and Kurama hadn't killed the time-traveller yet.

Yup, everything was fine.

**"****-have no idea what it's like to be sealed away-"**

"-and I have no desire to find out, thank you-"

**"****You almost did, you ****_idiotic_**** waste of chakra-"**

"-whoa there, I'm _pissing_ my pants-"

**"****-you don't even ****_have_**** pants, what the hell-"**

"-do you even _pee_-"

**"****-impudent brat, you're still alive only because of me, don't you dare-"**

"-will take that as a no-"

Obito almost hit the Yamanaka with his Dragon Breath, with Rin and Gai both cheering loudly for him. Asuma and Kurenai were much quieter, while Satoshi was watching with narrowed eyes. Hatsumi had returned, but Takai and Daku did not. The other jonin just watched, nodding or frowning from time to time.

Kakashi wondered how Anko was, if she had broken or cracked ribs and how long it would take for them to heal. Maybe he could help speed up her recovery.

**"****-are you taking this seriously, Hatake-"**

"-what's this adverb you're talking about-"

Hatsumi raised an eyebrow at him. Uh. Well, there wasn't much about chakra you could hide from a sensor of her caliber. Kurama and Okugi were more-or-less-unconsciously calling on their chakra, probably a habit of theirs to intimidate people into surrending or pissing their pants.

If Kakashi focused enough, he could pick out some future-memories where Hatsumi had taken over her relative Hikari Ryuu on the barrier around Konoha. Maybe they were siblings?

**"****-where would that have left the future-"**

"-in your hands, I'm not quite that-"

**"****-and ****_Naruto_****-"**

"-hey, that's a low blow, I resent that-"

**"****-and your team of overpowered ****_brats_****-"**

"-says the _almighty_ _Kyuubi no Youko_-"

Wow, Obito had actually forced Koto Yamanaka on the defensive. Not that it'd take much, since Koto's clan focused more on support and mind games whereas Obito's preferred either charging at their opponents in a blaze of glorious fire or trapping them in a Sharingan-induced genjutsu. Given that Obito still didn't have the Sharingan, his method of approach was clear.

He had engaged the Yamanaka in a taijutsu fight, always closing the distance whenever Koto tried to push him away. Obito was taking Kakashi's suggestion to heart, too – he was always on the move, dodging, blocking or attacking. His stamina was nothing to scoff at when compared to other genin-almost-chuunin. He just needed to refine a lot his technique, get a few more jutsu under his belt and unlock his Sharingan.

Alright, that meant a lot of training in the future. At least he wouldn't do it under _Madara_ this time around.

**"****-Madara ****_where?!"_**

"Madara?!"

Kakashi mentally raised an eyebrow at them. _'_Now_ you stop?' _he asked, torn between amusement and worry. If the mention of this man was enough to stop their screaming match, he must've been a grueling opponent to fight.

A _meteor _– wait, _two fucking meteors_ flashed in his mind, their weight pressing down on the entire Shinobi Army, the air almost freezing as the giant rock blocked out the sun and _the_ _Tsuchikage actually stopping one of them_-

"Obito Uchiha wins the match!"

The shout jarred Kakashi out of the memory.

"Yatta!" Rin cheered, all smiles and joy as she called out, "You did it, Obito-kun! You've done great!"

Kakashi didn't need enhanced senses to see his teammate's deep blush. Koto shoved the Uchiha off him with a scowl and muttering a few words of choice.

"EEEHHH?!" Obito yelled. "I've won fair and square! Saiku-san, tell him!"

The proctor just sighed and told them everything was valid. Obito cheered, then looked at the cuts on his hands and forearms with rising horror now that his adrenaline was wearing off. Rin was down there in a heartbeat and ushered her friend back to the platforms as Koto sulked back to his teammates.

"As for the final match," Ryuji announced, "since the only one left is Gai Maito-" said genin let out a loud "I'm ready!" "he'll fight a chuunin and, should he perform well enough, he too will be accepted into the third test. The examinee will have five minutes to impress me or win. This match will be Gai Maito versus chuunin Kakashi Hatake!"

"YOSH!" Gai jumped down with all the enthusiasm he'd still have later in his life. A chance to officially fight against his Eternal Rival! "I shall do my best in this most glorious fight against my youthful Eternal Rival!"

Obito laughed as Kakashi sighed heavily. Rin and Minato weren't hiding their amusement at his predicament, either.

"It's your turn, Chibi!"

Kurama narrowed his eyes at the time-traveller. **"Our discussion is not over yet," **he grumbled.

Kakashi jumped down into the arena, ignoring Okugi's mock-squeak. _'Help me or get a room. Your discussion would just distract me.'_

After a second of shocked silence in his mindscrape, his older self just mumbled something – "Still too young to make that kind of joke" – and nodded. "Unless I know something about him that you don't, I'll just silently wait in front of the Forest of Death. Did you know I now have my two personal guards? Well, I do."

**"****It's ****_your_**** fight, Kit. I'm helping only if you're in too much trouble. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have chakra to gather." **Kurama promptly curled up and closed his eyes.

"Begin!"

* * *

Cat was in charge of the team while Captain Hound discussed the Okugi case with Hokage-sama and Danzo-sama.

It wasn't like they'd provide new information, and it wasn't them who arrested a freaking _member of the Council_, not to mention one of Hokage-sama's friends and comrades.

He watched with interest as the genin and the Jinchuuriki battled against each other. Gai the genin was fast, a green and orange blur kicking and punching and yelling everything from "Almost!" to "You're doing well, my Rival!" His taijutsu was exceptional for his age and rank.

He'd definitely make chuunin if he proved he could also do ninjutsu.

After all, what was a ninja without _nin_-jutsu?

_'__A taijutsu master, maybe?'_ a sarcastic corner of his mind drawled. Damn, it sounded a lot like Owl. That guy was rubbing off him. It wasn't like he was wrong, though. Many ninja were well-rounded, with good taijutsu, at least two elemental natures under their belt and a few genjutsu here and there.

Or maybe he was thinking about most jonin and ANBU.

Cat shook his head. There were ninja who did just fine without mastery of every ninja art – the Slug Princess Tsunade could hardly do ninjutsu, but her taijutsu and iryojutsu were extraordinary. The Toad Sage Jiraya and the Yellow Flash didn't know any genjutsu, but their Fuinjutsu and skill could take them everywhere. Orochimaru was hoarding every ninja art he could, but he had gotten the title of Sannin mostly due to his ninjutsu, summons and poison expertise.

It was impossible for a shinobi to master every single ninja art – especially including Kekkei Genkai, Kinjutsu and who knows what else. Cat had heard of the legendary Sage Mode, but had never seen it.

It wouldn't exactly be a stretch for this Gai Maito to become a taijutsu master… like his father.

"Konoha Senpou!" the genin shouted as he tried to kick his opponent, but Kakashi was faster. He was a Jinchuuriki and Cat had seen how fast he could be if he wanted. He had almost outpaced the Yellow Flash in his haste to find Okugi, for Kami's sake.

The Hatake countered the move with a chakra-enhanced backhand. Gai barely blocked it in time and was thrown to almost the other side of the arena. The genin grinned and dashed to his rival's left side in trying to land a kick.

They returned to a vicious taijutsu match the next millisecond and Cat pondered on the mystery that was his target.

The external chakra link – which the Jinchuuriki saw no need to tell them about, the jerk – had been voluntary on both his and Okugi's side. It allowed them to speak to each other, as he had informed Hokage-sama, and feel their emotions. They were intrinsically connected, almost one and the same.

They were, in a sense. A half-demon made from the Kyuubi imitator and Kakashi's own chakra… Cat was curious as to how exactly he came to be.

That telepathic link was the reason he had stormed to that ROOT base – which had once been the regular ANBU's, back before Cat had joined – growling and snarling and _demanding_ to know what the hell had happened to Okugi. At least the Kyuubi imitator didn't turn on them once he saw the impostor impersonating the half-demon had the same outfit as the ANBU.

That could have easily been the start of a rampage. Cat had been _terrified_ and he wondered how the few shinobi wandering under them hadn't noticed all the ruckus.

Fortunately, everything went… kind of fine.

Now Danzo Shimura, Elder of the Council, advisor and former teammate of Hokage-sama, was accused of harm and attempted kidnapping of a Konohan summon, which was as bad as attacking a fellow Konoha shinobi. Summons are always bound to a restricted group of ninja, if not to a single person. Attacking one of them was the same as attacking the shinobi who had signed the contract.

Cat wouldn't be surprised if Danzo got thrown into jail, honestly.

Maybe the charge of harm to summon would be dropped since Okugi hadn't been injured – it wasn't like the ink was poisonous or something – but the _attempted kidnapping_ couldn't be shrugged off as _nothing_. Had they arrived any later, or had the Jinchuuriki and the half-demon not formed their telepathic link… Okugi would have been well and truly screwed.

Sealed away most likely, since without the Hatake's chakra he'd be a bijuu under all aspects. Maybe Konoha would have woken up one day with _three_ Jinchuuriki instead of two.

The penalty for kidnapping ranged from one to ten years in jail, but could also reach twelve years if the kidnapped was a civilian under the age of eighteen. Could that be applied to a half-demon 'born' about two weeks ago? He'd count as a newborn and attempted kidnapping of infant was unacceptable. But he also was a perfectly functioning shinobi from his 'birth'…

The genin shouted something about a Front Lotus – who the fuck taught an _eleven_-year-old how to open the _First Gate?!_ – and made a clone of Kakashi slam head-first into the tiled floor, making it dispel. It would have broken his neck had the real one taken the hit… not that the Jinchuuriki would let himself be beaten by his genin Eternal Rival.

Cat returned to his musings after silently laughing at Owl and Boar, who thought the Hatake's Shadow Clone was the real one.

Maybe the Hokage would even add 'almost-accidental-but-not-quite destruction of Konoha due to bijuu rampage' to Danzo's charges? That would be equal to attempted murder of the Hokage, high treason or actually attempted destruction of Konoha. It'd mean instant public execution.

It would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity – but that would also mean the Kyuubi imitator would be common knowledge and that just could _not_ happen. Cat would be extremely disappointed if all their hard work was laid to waste like that.

It also couldn't be overlooked that Danzo was part of the Council, was a former comrade of Hokage-sama, had leadership of a hidden branch of ANBU and Konoha was in the middle of a war that wouldn't wait for them to choose someone else to take over Danzo's duties. Even if he did deserve to be put on trial like everyone else would be in his position.

Cat knew there was a reason why he didn't aimed for Hokage.

"Stop!" the examiner shouted as the five minutes ran out.

Gai turned to the man, panting, sweating and grinning so hard Cat was half-convinced he'd pull a facial muscle. What had Dai _fed_ that kid? He had just opened the First Gate and was _still_ _standing!_

Ryuji blinked for a second at the genin, glanced at Kakashi – who had not even broken a sweat, damn Jinchuuriki stamina – and snorted. "Kids these days… Gai Maito passes to the third and final stage of the Chuunin Exams!"

"YATTAAAAAA!" the spandex-wearing genin yelled for the whole nation to hear. "THAT HAS BEEN A MOST REFRESHING BATTLE, MY RIVAL! BUT ALAS I COULD NOT DEFEAT YOU, SO I WILL DO A HUNDRED HANDSTANDS FOR EVERY… minute… of rest…"

Gai fell unconscious and would have face-planted if Kakashi hadn't been there. The chuunin sighed and slung one of the genin's arms on his shoulders.

Cat could feel that Owl was face-palming at that. Gai did impress the examiner, but had it been a real fight… he'd be already six feet underground.

Not that he'd fight alone against many Jinchuuriki, anyway. Kumo had only one up and fighting, Iwa either hid its own or something, Kiri had probably left them in the middle of the southern sea without so much as a 'good luck', Suna couldn't find another proper vessel for the Ichibi and the two Konohan Jinchuuriki would never fight against their teammates.

Unless the bijuu possessed them, of course. That possibility couldn't exactly be overlooked.

The examiner didn't waste time with idle speeches and explained to the winners – barring the unconscious Gai and the missing Anko – that they were to meet in front of the Training Ground 44 at half past six four days from now. It was mostly for them to restore their lost chakra and heal up, so they had to do no strenuous activity in the meantime. Ryuji announced that Hokage-sama and five other jonin would oversee the third test and that, although it was unlikely to happen, they could be ordered to complete a D- or even a brief C-ranked mission.

The Yellow Flash looked particularly unhappy with that last statement.

Not that Cat could honestly blame him – his team had experienced a terrible bout of bad luck. Owl and Boar's chakras hummed slightly and the temporary captain knew they agreed with him.

They trailed after Team Minato as they headed to the Hospital.

* * *

**I swear I will end these blasted Exams and get to the Horribly Terrible Stuff that's going to Traumatize Someone. Sometime in the future…**

**I'm a tad disappointed I couldn't do better with Okugi's careless decision. But I mean, Kakashi and Kurama knew Shit Was Going Down the ****_second_**** they couldn't communicate with their favorite time-traveller. They knew where he was, and they didn't know what Danzo tried to do with him. What better candidate for a Speedy Rescue than the Yellow Flash? What better witnesses than a whole ANBU team and the Yellow Flash? **

**I always make up Fuinjutsu, apart from Sai's jutsu. Doesn't "Guardian Dragon of Heaven" sound awesome? I think it does. The Trigrams I've used are the real ones, trust me on that one: Fire and Water, Wind and Lightning are opposites when you read their lines (negative for split line and positive for whole line), so I made them countering each other.**

**The penalty for kidnapping Cat is thinking of is from the Italian Penal Code. Roughly.**

**Any other question will be answered either in the next Chapter - which will surely come later than expected, since I've begun the new schoolyear and all - or through PM. My connection had been shitty when I was editing the last things here, so I had to do it _again_ trying to remember what I changed and what I didn't. Ugh.**

**Bonus points for whoever finds the Captain America 'reference'/tribute! Not that it's very hidden…**

**Beware of the Kitsune's rage!**

**Shiiroi Kitsune21 **


End file.
